Perhaps Love
by GirlquinndreameR
Summary: Kyouya proposes a contract marriage to Renge, completing his plans for a bright future. A profitable occupation, smart investments and a future wife of notable status. But love? That was never part of his plan. Check the story's website on my profile!
1. Chapter 1

Perhaps Love

Part 1

Author's Note: I spent a month writing this story and I'm very, very, very proud of it. This couple doesn't really get much attention (10 or so stories on so here's me contributing. My first Ouran fic, and please review. I also have a website up for this story, so please check it out at www. Geocities. Com/ girlquinndreamer/ perhapslove. html (no spaces, of course). The link is also on my profile page. Thanks and enjoy!

* * *

It was all about connections, Kyouya thought. 

Kyouya sat quietly in his room with two human atlases open in front of him. The pages were filled with pictures of the internal human body, with muscles and nerves displayed in detail.

Kyouya checked his notes and sketched the network in the forearm. While doing so, he reached for his room remote and clicked a button, turning the overhead lights on.

It was nearly sunset and his father was not home yet. However, Kyouya was not a fool. He knew his father was at the Fujioka apartment.

After all, Kyouya was turning twenty in two days.

Kyouya closed his notebook, put his pen down and began to search for a name in his cellphone. When he found the desired name, he pushed the talk button, sending the call through.

Kyouya knew he had to work quickly.

--

"Happy birthday, Ootori-san."

_Wada Souichiro, eldest son and heir to the Wada Banking Company. Ouran alumni and former classmate in 3-A._

Kyouya smiled gently. "Thank you, Wada-san."

Souichiro soon excused himself as Kyouya weaved through the people in the grand ballroom, occasionally stopped by fellow Ouran High School Academy alumni, their parents and his father's associates. He smoothed down the lapel of his suit, and readjusted the eyeglasses on his nose.

"Kyouya!" a familiar voice called.

_It's about time_, he wondered.

Immediately, a fair-haired man pulled him in a hug. "Kyouya! Bonne anniversaire!" Four other young men and a young woman soon joined them, all decked out in full formal wear. They were his fellow Host Club members from his days in high school: Morinozuka Takashi, Haninozuka Mitsukuni, Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru and Fujioka Haruhi.

"Congratulations, Kyouya," Suou Tamaki, the former Club leader greeted. "You have reached the age of ripe manhood--." Tamaki continued his speech of beautiful coming of age and youth as Kyouya turned to the others.

"Did you just arrive?" Kyouya asked.

"Uh-huh!" Hunny smiled sweetly, already armed with a plateful of cakes. Mori said nothing, just stood behind his cousin and nodded.

"We would have been here earlier but Haruhi was being picky on the dress we picked for her," the Hitachiin brothers spoke in unison.

The only female, Haruhi, frowned, turning away from the twins who stood on either side of her. "You were trying to get me in a low cut dress."

"But it's alright to wear one," Kaoru smiled.

"Yeah, especially since you kind of grew a cup size," Hikaru added without missing a beat.

"Yeah, whatever," Haruhi grumbled.

Kyouya took a moment to look at Haruhi's dress. It was a pink Hitachiin creation, he could tell right away, with rouching and lace in the right places to give her curves. He could imagine Tamaki's reaction when he first laid eyes on her. Most likely, the French man would have been rendered speechless... that was Kyouya's best guess.

"But doesn't she look beautiful?" Tamaki asked Kyouya after finishing his speech no one was listening to.

"A beautiful daughter..." Kyouya said and then turned to Tamaki while lowering his voice so only he could hear, "... or a beautiful woman?"

Tamaki stepped back while covering his quick rising blush with his hand. Kyouya knew Tamaki was not a fool... he understood his meaning. The reaction made Kyouya smile.

"Kyouya," he heard his name called. Kyouya turned, coming face to face with his older image. His father curtly greeted everyone and then turned to Haruhi. "Fujioka," Yoshio addressed her. "May I speak with you privately?"

"S-sure," she followed Kyouya's father towards the outside patio of the ballroom; she was soon followed by Kyouya. They weaved their way through the crowd until they reached the night air outside on the patio.

Kyouya only watched quietly as Yoshio turned to Haruhi. "I hope you considered what we spoke about last week."

"Actually, I'm going to have to decline--" Haruhi took a moment, standing tall before the older man.

It was time. Kyouya stepped forward.

"Actually Otou-san, I don't think Haruhi would be a well-suited bride."

Both Haruhi and Yoshio stared at Kyouya with wide eyes. "I think she would be a fine bride."

"Yes, I think she is smart. After all, she has top grades in her law school," Kyouya noticed her twitch at the corner of his eye. She was probably wondering how he knew that. "However, overall, Haruhi and I are... unsuited for one another."

"Kyouya," Yoshio spoke. That tone was familiar: disappointed, almost threatening. "You are now twenty years old. Both your brothers before you were engaged to be married, both to well-educated, dependable women." Yoshio did not sound happy with Kyouya's refusal. "You will do the same."

"I believe a marriage with another woman would prove better," Kyouya answered.

Yoshio's eyebrows lifted. "You have someone in mind?"

A smile found its way to Kyouya's lips. "Houshakuji's only daughter."

"Renge-chan?" Haruhi muttered in disbelief.

Yoshio stroked his chin, a sign to Kyouya that he was listening. "Although she isn't in law school, she is set in her father's footsteps. She is well-educated, very dependable and deeply dedicated. And since our families are associates..." Kyouya did not need to explain any further; he knew his father was seriously considering his suggestion.

Yoshio turned to Haruhi. "I hope this does not prove as inconvenient."

"No," Haruhi quickly shook her head. Before she could explain any further, Yoshio excused himself and left to find Renge's father.

When they were alone on the patio, Haruhi turned to Kyouya. "Um..."

"No offense, Haruhi, but you're not marriage material. At least, not mine," Kyouya explained, moving his glasses farther up on his bridge. "You were going to refuse anyway."

"Yeah..." Haruhi rolled her eyes. "I was surprised when your dad asked me. I mean, I would think you would be married to a rich girl."

"That's why I refuse to marry you. It won't benefit me in the slightest."

"I see," Harushi stared at him with disbelieving eyes. "Marrying Renge-chan, a family you have business relations with, will just strengthen that contract."

"That's part of it," Kyouya admitted while staring off into the ballroom.

"What else?"

A smirk formed on his face. "Even if I'm not the Ootori heir, I do intend to branch out into my own business endeavors. Having a powerful name behind me is ideal, don't you agree?"

"Hm..." Haruhi's eyes trailed in the same direction of Kyouya's. In clear view near the ice swan was their crowd of friends. Tamaki was desperately scanning the room, most likely searching for Haruhi, the twins teasing their Tono, while Hunny continued to stuff his mouth with Mori standing close by. Haruhi turned back to Kyouya and for a moment, his mask fell, an almost fond smile on his face.

It did not fail to escape Haruhi's sight. "Who do you think you're fooling, Kyouya-senpai?"

Kyouya locked eyes with Haruhi.

Haruhi just shrugged. "I mean, even though we're not in high school anymore, you still look out for Tamaki-senpai." She turned towards the ballroom and took a step towards the ballroom. "But anyway..." she took a few breaths before peering over her shoulder and smiling at him. "Thanks." She returned to their friends, particularly to a teary-eyed Tamaki.

Really, that girl was too observant for her own good. How she could read a person like a book was a dangerous asset. However, that was going to make her a superb lawyer, Kyouya thought to himself. He took a few steps into the ballroom and saw his father on the other side of the hall, talking to a familiar face.

He made a mental note for himself to make a house call before the week's end.

--

Renge could feel something was wrong. Maybe not wrong, but perhaps different. When her father came home, he was a little quieter than usual. He arrived late afternoon and immediately they had their traditional tea.

"How was your trip?" Renge asked.

Her father put down the Parisian newspaper to make eye contact with his daughter. "It turned out very well. In fact, Ootori's youngest son had his twentieth birthday party and I attended."

"Kyouya-san?"

"Yes... In fact," her father took a sip of his tea and placed the cup down. "Renge, I need to speak with you."

That caused her to put down her own tea. "What is it, Otou-sama?"

"Renge, you are the only heir to the Houshakuji fortune, but you are also my daughter. I want you to get married, eventually."

Renge's eyes widened. "Married?"

He nodded. "Yes. And marry well." He tried a weary smile; hopefully, the expression would lighten the serious mood. "I believe Ootori's son would be a well-suited match."

That caused Renge to spit out all her tea across the table and onto her father. "Kyouya-san? Him?" she said wide-eyed, covering her mouth with her napkin.

Taken aback, Renge's father grabbed a napkin to wipe his face. "Yes," he said, ignoring the fact that she had yet to apologize. "I thought you wanted to."

"That was almost three years ago!" she shrieked. "And besides, even if he does resemble my Miyabi-sama, he does not all fit the princely personality!" Renge jumped on her feet, onto the chair, with one foot on the seat and the other atop the headrest. "Yes, the cool type but not an ouji-sama!"

"But Renge, please hear me out," her father pleaded. "He has an excellent upbringing and is studying to be a doctor. He also has an excellent mind for business." If she did hear him, he could not tell, with all the shrieking and some sort of gibberish about a host club... "In fact, he seems interested in you, Renge. He asked to marry you."

Renge seized her tirade. "He... he did?" A hint of a blush found its way to her face.

"Uh-huh."

Renge sat properly in the furniture, allowing him to continue. "Renge, I think this marriage would benefit not only this company, but you as well. Kyouya-san is a respectable young man."

Renge did not have to ask twice. "When will I be married off?"

"Not for a while. However," he reached for her hand across the table and took it in his own. "Don't misunderstand. Although I want you to marry well, I want you to be happy. So, I want you to move back to Japan, continue your studies there and become truly acquainted with Ootori. After all, it's been a few years since you've seen one another."

Renge stared back at her father.

"However, you must have left an impression. For him to ask me for your hand in marriage after all this time."

Renge's shoulders relaxed and placed an assuring hand on top his own. "I'll leave for Japan."

"No rush, Renge. You can take time--."

She shook her head. "No, Otou-sama. I agree with you." She stood tall on her feet. "I must start soon in order to establish our fated lovely romance!"

"Um..." Renge's father watched in silence as she pranced across the room.

"I'm going to pack now!" Renge tore down the halls, into her room and shut the door behind her. She did not hear her father calling behind her, informing of a cordial dinner at the end of the week in the Ootori home. She stood against the door, head held high.

She had been expecting this since she was young. Growing up, Renge watched her classmates being pulled into arranged marriages. It was an effective way to create new ties or strengthen existing relations; Renge was not dumb. She knew she would not be an exception to the rule. Was not one of the reasons being sent to finishing school was to be marriage material? She was groomed to be a man's bride since childhood.

But... Ootori Kyouya?

Not that she was very disgusted by the fact. He was very good-looking, and very much a polite gentleman. However, spending time with the Host Club, she managed to see that there was not a romantic bone in his body.

Renge frowned. _It would be ideal if my husband did..._ Commoners had it better. Snuggling to keep each other warm in the dead of winter with only a blanket or spending all their food money on firewood, since ALL commoners did that, was somewhat romantic. After all, is it not commoners who make those movies with those leading men with those extraordinary lines "You complete me", "I will love you 'til my dying day", "This is true love; it doesn't happen everyday," and a million more?!

However, she was not a commoner and would have to make due. Renge headed to her closet and started searching for her old things, throwing out last season's Ferragamo heels and Chanel dress in the process. She found a small box and opened it, revealing her old Playstation 2. Quickly, she plugged it in to her television and opened up a saved file. Immediately on screen appeared a tall man, wearing a white school uniform, a red scarf and glasses.

"You are exceptionally beautiful today," the digital image said. "I find myself falling more in love with you."

A hint of a smile formed on Renge's face. Yes, she would make due.


	2. Chapter 2

Perhaps Love

Part 2

Author's Note: Thank you very much for all your reviews! I actually received far more than what I expected, so thanks again to you first 11. Also, I may later filter this story to both characters "Kyouya and Renge" besides just "Kyouya". We'll see. Also, please visit the website www. Geocities. Com/ girlquinndreamer/ perhapslove. html (no spaces). The link is also on my profile page. I have pictures of stuff!

* * *

Kyouya actually expected to take a flight to France at the end of the week. It turned out that Renge was a step ahead of him; she moved back to Japan and transferred her transcripts in a matter of days. Kyouya put a knife to his lamb. To his right, at the head of the table, was his father, and across from him were Houshakuji and Renge. Their fathers were chattering about business as Kyouya kept his ears to them but kept his eyes on her under lowered lids.

Just as expected, she did not change much. She was still beautiful with gleaming amber eyes and very thin wrists... if anything, her face structure became more refined, making the lines of her smooth jaw flawless.

Kyouya looked up and noticed Renge looking straight at him from across the table. He cued the perfect smile on his lips: a soft smirk with matching dark and mysterious eyes to go with it. It proved to work; a smile erupted on her face as well.

They continued to not say a word and only listen to their fathers speak during dinner.

--

Renge walked two steps behind Kyouya.

Their fathers remained in the drawing room; moments ago, Yoshio suggested for Kyouya to give her a tour of the house. So, that was how Renge found herself eyeing Kyouya's defined shoulders.

They were currently in the library when she spoke. "Neh, Kyouya-sama?"

It froze him for a second; he had not heard that name for years. "Yes?"

"The furnishing of your house seem to fit your personality," Renge smiled. "Smooth lines, very cool... very you."

He nodded. "My father is very much a minimalist. Although my mother was a fan of the art deco period." He walked towards a fireplace, the flame dancing in front of a long, straight, low-back, black couch. "Would you care to sit, Renge-kun?" She did and immediately Kyouya noticed how her pale lemon dress clashed with the leather. In fact, her bright and feminine attire stood out within his bold geometric home. "Would you care for some tea?"

She tittered. "Oh no. I'm already stuffed full." Kyouya joined her on the couch, a 1/2 cushion apart when she spoke again. "So, we're engaged now, right? What happens next?"

"Well," Kyouya figured he should share his plans with her, "we're going to have to make a public announcement within the next week. And there are events we have to attend together: the Mayor's Ball, Police Charity Banquet, the hospital fundraiser, Ouran's Anniversary Ball... just to name a few."

"And what about dates?" The stars in Renge's eyes began to glimmer. She already could see images of roses, candle lit dinners and walks on Hawaiian beaches.

"If you like."

Her face erupted into a smile. "And text messages with small hearts and smilies!"

He took a moment to process what she said. "That would be fine--."

"Oh, could a girl ask for anything more?" Renge sighed with a dramatic air, the back of her hand touching her temple. "Together a new romance can bloom!" She continued her gushing for a few more minutes before she settled down again. "By the way, Kyouya-sama, I've been curious... why did you pick me?"

Never once did Kyouya consider telling her the truth. True, his father did have other associates that had daughters, but Renge was by far the most beautiful and had the most money. And although he did feel affection towards Haruhi, he knew how Tamaki felt. And since Tamaki finally saw the light of his own feelings... "Because," Kyouya turned to her and gave the same smile he sent across the dinner table, "in the end, you stood out. You are truly exceptional."

Renge's eyes widened. She had to remind herself how to breathe.

A maid soon entered the library and informed them of her father's summons. They both followed the maid to their fathers, where Houshakuji was ready to leave.

"So, do you leave for France tomorrow morning?" Yoshio asked.

Houshakuji nodded his head. "I'll see you next week." He bowed to both men. "Please take care of my daughter."

"Goodbye, Houshakuji-san," Kyouya bowed his head. "And good night, Renge-kun."

Renge's mind seemed to be out in the clouds. Her father watched her walk into a dreamy haze as they entered the limo for the drive home.

She could not figure out why Kyouya told her that. She was "exceptional"? Oh dear...and the tone he said it in matched very much to Miyabi-sama... and his smile... it made her sigh.

Suddenly, her purse chimed, her cell phone signaling an incoming text message. She snapped open her purse and read the display message when she flipped it open.

**Here is my number. See you next week. --Kyouya.**

"Kyouya-sama..." Renge muttered.

Houshakuji turned to her. "He already contacted you? But we just left the house. He must really like you."

Renge could feel her cheeks warming up. "Maybe." She began to feverishly text a message.

A few seconds later, Kyouya's own phone chimed, alerting him of an incoming text.

**I can't wait ♥! Love, Renge**

He exited the program and continued to check his computer, monitoring his American stocks.  
--

She was told to choose a dress to match his dark blue dress jacket. Renge was quite satisfied with herself when Kyouya's car picked her up and saw that she and he were wearing similar shades of navy blue.

"You look very nice, Kyouya-sama!"

He turned his head in her direction. "As do you, Renge-kun." He did not talk much after that; the car ride to the hotel was relatively silent, although Renge tried to coax a conversation out of him. It took her a few moments to step back and remember... Kyouya was always the "cool type"... his silent presence spoke volumes.

The black car pulled up to the Imperial Hotel Tokyo. There were a few photographers waiting outside, snapping shots of the two in the car. "I ask that you follow my lead, Renge-kun."

"What?" Before she could receive an explanation, the chauffeur opened the door and Kyouya stepped out. He waited for her to exit the car and together at the same pace, they walked into the hotel, followed by a hotel representative and the photographers.

"Ootori-sama, I'm Yuuya, the relations agent of the hotel," the hotel representative quickened his pace. "On behalf of the Imperial, thank you for choosing us as a venue for your press conference."

"Not at all," Kyouya cordially smiled. "The Houshakujis and Ootori hold your hotel in the highest regard. It was a natural choice."

Yuuya humbly bowed and led them to a large conference hall. It was a long room with alabaster walls and rows of fold-out chairs all facing a stage at the end of the room. On the stage was a long table, dressed in a white cloth, with a pair of microphones, two glasses of water, and a pitcher of water. As soon as they entered, flashes of press cameras invaded Renge's eyes; she had to focus straight towards the stage to keep her from distraction. Yuuya stopped at the stairs to the stage; he assisted Renge up the steps and Kyouya soon followed. Both Kyouya and Renge stood behind the table, each behind a chair. They stood for a few moments for photographers' sake, and then Kyouya sidestepped, pulling her seat out. Renge turned to him and came face to face with his smile; she obliged and sat down. Kyouya sat beside her soon after.

"Members of the press," Kyouya began. "I humbly thank you for attending today in this improtant news." Renge watched and noticed he began to incline his head. She adjusted her movements as if she bowed in unison with him. "My name is Ootori Kyouya, third son of Ootori Yoshio, the owner and leader of the Ootori Zaibatsu. And this is Houshakuji Renge, heir to the Houshakuji Corporation. Today, you the press, were led to believe an official merger between the two companies will occur. There is... some air of truth to this," Kyouya took a breath, a playful hint to his words, "but that is not completely accurate.

"The truth is that the two of us, Houshakuji Renge and I, are engaged to be married."

Immediately, they were bombarded with gasps and a frenzy of flashing lightbulbs. Renge was taken a back slightly, taking a handful of her dress while sitting behind the table. "We can answer a few questions..." And Kyouya looked to the direction of a woman in the front row, wearing a creme dress suit. "Yes?"

"First off, Ootori-san, Houshakuji-san, congratulations."

"Thank you," they both said together.

"My question is if you two have a date set?"

"We just became engaged recently," Kyouya explained. "We have not gone into such details, have we Renge?"

Renge's ears did not fail; he dropped the suffix. It seems as if the reporters heard it too. The buzzing in the room seemed to have increased. "Yes..." she noticed his cunning smile and continued. "We are both in school. Maybe a year or so from now."

"Next question," Kyouya said, directing his attention to a man in a green suit.

"But if you're both so young, why get engaged at all?"

"Because!" Renge chimed before Kyouya could get a word in. "Kyouya is quite a catch! I had to make sure I had him before anyone else did!" She turned to Kyouya, who averted his eyes, a good humored smirk on his face. "Next question, Sir wearing the beige fedora?"

"Still, this engagement seems sudden. I heard Houshakuji has been in Paris for the past year?"

"Even so," Kyouya cut in, "I have known Renge since high school nearly four years ago. We did develop a friendship back at Ouran Academy."

Renge tried her hardest not to drop her facade. The light flashes were getting to her eyes.

The next person was called upon. "The Ootori and the Houshakuji companies are part of an exclusive list that is the backbone of Japan's economic structure. The public will probably can't help but think this a strictly financial arrangement," said a man in a dark brown suit. The room fell into a hush as he sat, waiting for an answer.

Something boiled over inside Renge's stomach. Before her body jumped out of her chair, Kyouya reached for her hand. The shock of contact kept her in her seat. "Our companies have been partners for years. In fact, had it not been for our fathers' business relations, Renge and I would never have met. So for this, I suppose the credit goes to them."

"So it's not just an arranged marriage for financial purposes?"

Kyouya smiled. "I am quite fond of Renge. Hopefully, she fells the same," and he tilted his head in her direction.

"Of course!" Renge smiled. "I wouldn't have said 'yes', now would I?"

The crowd giggled slightly. "No more questions," Kyouya informed. The crowd asked for more photo opportunities and he agreed. Kyouya scooted out of his chair and offered Renge his hand. She happily took it and he guided her to the front of the table, in full view of the press. Photographers crowded to the front as they stood hand in hand. Bulbs lit and ignited, the clicking of cameras filling the room.

Kyouya released her hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, causing a blush to creep up to her cheeks. He tilted his head towards her, angling his lips toward her ear. "You did quite nicely, Renge."

Renge could only bring herself to smile. The way he smiled at her and looked towards the crowd... if she opened her mouth, she might have screeched of joy and "moe".

After another few moments passed, he held her hand and descended the stage. Yuuya again guided them towards the outside where the car was waiting. They both turned to the press that followed them out, bowed, and boarded the car. The car drove off and when the hotel was out of sight, Kyouya sat back. "So it begins..." he muttered.

However, Renge did not hear him. She was trying to engrave the feeling of his hand holding hers to memory.

--

Kyouya regretted answering his phone. The moment he flipped it open, he heard a waterfall of sobs, screaming about how "Okaa-san" was cruel to hide things.

It had only been two hours since the press conference concluded.

"Tamaki, if you don't settle down, I won't be able to explain." Immediately, Tamaki quieted, allowing Kyouya to speak. "My brothers before me were engaged on their 20th birthdays. So, rather than submitting to my father's decision, I chose a bride of my own."

"You mean, you've been only engaged for two weeks?"

"Yes," Kyouya sighed, exasperated.

"And you picked Renge-kun? I'm surprised!"

"Why should you be, if you think about what she has to offer."

Tamaki did, because there was a few moments of quiet before he heard him continue. "I see... typical Kyouya, always thinking ten steps ahead. Still though, marriage is a very big deal."

"Marriage is a financial arrangement covered in icing," Kyouya said, earning a whimper from the other line. "At least for me. If I want to venture in my own businesses, whether or not I do become the Ootori heir, why not have two names connected to me?"

"How does she feel?" Tamaki asked. "This is Renge-kun we're talking about."

"We'll try to make the best of things," Kyouya dodged answering as he twirled the remote control of the TV in his other hand, watching the news on mute.

"Still..." Tamaki's voice coated with uncertainty, "wouldn't it be nice to marry because of love?"

Kyouya stopped for a moment to think. Perhaps this was where Tamaki and he truly differed. Tamaki was the type to hold romance and ideas in the highest regard, while Kyouya... just did not. Love, although it reaped its own benefits, would not get what he wanted. To him, love was not a priority. "Perhaps love is not for me."

Tamaki gasped. "Mon Dieu! I see... some fair maiden broke your heart! That is why you feel such despair! Such detachment to love!"

Kyouya began to change channel, the phone still to his ear. He was not particularly paying attention; Kyouya just let the hot air continue to burst forth.

"It does seem dark, cold and lonely now," Tamaki continued, "but fear not! One day, your Juliet will come and you will once again experince the warmth in your heart with a woman in your embrace--."

Kyouya changed to a cooking show.

"--kissing petal-soft lips--."

Kyouya changed to a sports channel.

"--and flying off together on the wings of romance!"

"So, have you flown on the wings of romance with Haruhi yet?" Kyouya interrupted.

Immediately, the sounds of gasps and convulsions, along with whimpering, blasted through the phone for a few moments. "So," Tamaki changed the subject, "What type of ring did you buy her? Tiffany's? Cartier? Harry Winston?"

Kyouya's glasses flashed... Shoot. He knew he forgot something. "What do you think I should buy?"

A sinister laugh, at least as sinister as Tamaki could get, came from his phone. "I have a brilliant suggestion!"

And for whatever reason, Kyouya listened.


	3. Chapter 3

Perhaps Love

Part 3

Author's Note: Starting with chapter 3, I'm going to put this story under Kyouya and Renge's name. Just so y'all know.

And Xaki, who reviewed last chapter: Thank you so much for all your input and observations. The comment on the Kyouya and Tamaki interaction made me laugh! And rest assured, Tamaki is instrumental to this story, so he's going to appear a lot later. And to everyone else, I hope I don't disappoint; please enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Renge was quite surprised to see a familiar black sedan sitting in the spot her white Mercedes usually picked her up at. She was done with classes at Waseda and was ready to head home when, as if on cue, the black Rolls Royce arrived. A small crowd filed behind Renge, and out of nowhere a random photographer began shutterbugging away at the scene. Soon after, a back door opened, and out stepped Kyouya, dressed in dark slacks and a button down shirt. Renge's eyes widened; the women around her squealed while men admired the wheels. "Kyouya-sama?"

He approached her, taking her bag in hand. "I hope you don't have anything scheduled right now. We have some important business to attend to."

"Just homework, but--," Renge shut her mouth when she felt his hand sweep her lower back, directing her to the car. She jumped in the car without protest and watched as Kyouya gracefully entered the vehicle. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

Renge's eyes sparkled. "Do I have to close my eyes?"

"No--."

"Ooh!" Immediately, Renge shut her eyes. "I wonder what kind of surprise it is!" She began to mumble to herself, musing what the surprise was. Kyouya side-glanced at her, an eyebrow arched and then turned back to the window.

The ride lasted for nearly twenty minutes; in the middle of it, she began to hum in his musicless car. The tune struck Kyouya familiar. Before he could pinpoint the tune's name, the car stopped. Kyouya saw the people on the sidewalk stop and stare, some even pulled out their camera phones. Kyouya momentarily narrowed his eyes. "Come along now," he said and opened the door.

"Do I open my eyes yet?" she asked, her voice coming out of the car.

Kyouya, who already stood outside of the car and onto the sidewalk, wondered if the spectators heard her. Her voice was quite loud… "Give me your hand, Renge." He watched her scoot closer to him and held out her hand. He took it and gently touched the crown of her head with his other hand. "Be careful," he warned as she stepped out blindly. Keeping hold of her hand, he gently pulled her from the car into the building before them.

"Open your eyes."

Her eyes fluttered open and they immediately registered gold. Before her was a room of marble flooring and cases upon cases of sparkling jewelry, all lit under chandelier white lights. "Where…?" she gasped.

"I made a call to Hiitachin Kaoru and he gave me the name of the jeweler his mother often works with. He arranged the privacy to this shop so you can have your pick."

"My… pick?" she glanced around, noticing the only other people there were the employees, dressed in dark emerald vests and crisp white shirts.

"Your engagement ring."

Renge turned her head to Kyouya, surprised. "I could pick?" He nodded and she let out a squeal of delight.

A woman approached them, dressed in the same emerald vest. "Ootori-sama, Houshakuji-sama, my name is Yoshikawa. If you need any help, please--," however, she was completely ignored as Renge breezed by her, screaming with glee, looking at all the different pieces, from watches to necklaces to bracelets, drinking in the sights before her.

"You have to forgive my fiancée," Kyouya told Yoshikawa, who just stared at Renge running around at lightning speed. "She's extremely excited, as you can tell."

"I see… Well, if we could be of any further assistance, please let us know."

"Thank you very much."

Within moments, Renge found the engagement ring section. There were rows of diamond jewelry, all of various sizes, cuts and settings. She looked past the solitaires and onto the multistone rings. She asked to look at several rings in the display cases… some of them she actually picked up, others she glanced at briefly.

And then, something caught her eye. It was a ring in its own box in the display case; a platinum setting with tiny round diamonds all around the band. The centerpiece was a large diamond, almost the size of a thumbnail, which shined with a blue tint, like pure ice. Renge leaned closer towards the case, trying to get a closer look.

"Would you like to see it, Miss?" the attendant asked. She pulled it out of the display and set it onto the counter. "This is one of our most exclusive creations."

Renge did not reach for it; she just stared at it in awe. Suddenly, Kyouya, who was watching the whole time, stepped forward and gently pulled the ring from its place. He reached for Renge's left hand and delicately slid it on the appropriate finger. "What do you think?" He watched as Renge's eyes reflected the same sparkle in the ring. Her mouth parted in a gasp but no sound escaped her lips. Kyouya dug in his wallet, pulled out his credit card and handed it to the attendant. "We'll be taking this one."

"Very well, Sir. One moment, please." The attendant left and returned with his card and receipt. Kyouya signed it and returned his card to his wallet. "Thank you very much."

"Thank you," Kyouya said quickly and guided Renge towards the door, a hand to her back. All Renge could do was stare in awe at her ring while Kyouya thanked Yoshikawa, exited the building and led her to the waiting car. Renge and he climbed in, avoiding the on-lookers as they drove off.

For a moment, Kyouya thought they would have to deal with more of the press. However, there was not much; he saw only four or so photographers on their way out of the shop. He leaned back. As children of wealthy families, it was only natural to attract attention. Luckily, Japanese press was not too brutal, like those in America or Europe. Still, he could not be too careless; if they went out, he had to be on alert… especially on how he treated her.

After all, he was happily engaged.

"Kyouya-sama…"

His fist pillowed his jaw as he angled his eyes towards her.

She did not turn away from her ring; Renge could not make eye contact, but he watched her amber eyes turn misty. "Thank you," she whispered.

A gentle smile tugged one side of his lips. "You're welcome."

--

Renge tried to adjust to the new weight on her finger. The feeling felt foreign, and yet… lovely at the same time.

Kyouya bought her a ring. And she could not help staring at it.

Renge laid on her back upon the bed, her left hand outstretched in front of her. She moved her hand, positioning the diamond at different angles, watching the glacier-like diamond catch the light.

These past two weeks have gone by so quickly. Two weeks ago, she was still studying in France, with little to nothing else to do. She could not anticipate having a fiancé and moving back to Japan all in a matter of weeks. There were some things she missed about France, such as her chateau so close to the Eiffel Tower, but Tokyo had its own hold on her…

Particularly in the shape of Ootori Kyouya. Was it not four years ago as well when she dropped everything in Paris and boarded her personal jumbo jet, all to meet the man who resembled her Miyabi-sama? How ironic that years later, she returned to marry that very man.

And he asked her to marry him. Why? Because she was "exceptional"… whatever that meant.

Still, it was rather sweet. Not sweet as in glitter, roses and flowery words like Tamaki, but sweet in his own way… very cordial, well-spoken and positively polite.

And the fact that Kyouya was extremely good-looking had caused convulsions, with her random bouts of "moe". It seemed as if she still had a thing for men in glasses.

She was glad though. At least the man her father approved of was a very nice "type".

A small knock came to the door. Renge rolled onto her belly. "Come in."

The door slowly opened and her father stepped in. "Hi, Renge."

Renge sat up. "Otou-sama! I didn't think you'd get back until next week."

"Ah, well…" Houshakuji straightened his lounge robe for a moment before stepping in. "I saw your announcement on the news last week and I came home as soon as I could spare."

A soft smile appeared on her face. "You were worried?"

Houshakuji smiled. "I'm your father, can you blame me?"

Renge shook her head and watched as her father took a seat at the foot of the bed, facing her. "When I saw the press conference, it seemed as if you two got along quite well. I hope I wasn't reading into it."

"No, it's true! Kyouya-sama is just as pleasant as he always has been!"

"Good…" his eyes fell for a moment, catching sight of a large sparkle from her hand. "Is that…?"

Renge's cheeks blushed slightly as she pulled her hand in full view. "Kyouya-sama bought it for me today. It's beautiful, isn't it?"  
"Yes, it's quite a sight," Houshakuji nodded, eyes widened, finally seeing the true size of the siamond. "So, you are getting to know him more? No conflicts?"

"Absolutely none," Renge declared proudly. "He is truly a prince, treating me as his princess! It's like… a girl's dream come true! He's an ideal catch!"

"I – I see," Houshakuji took a step back, blown away at his daughter's energy.

"So, it's okay, Otou-sama."

Houshakuji blinked.

"Kyouya-sama is a good man. A marriage to him would be very nice. In fact, I'm getting quite used to the idea."

"Are you sure? It's only been two weeks--."

"I'm sure. I'll be okay in this match, so no need to worry."

Houshakuji nodded. "No need to rush, remember?"

"Of course!" Renge watched as her father sat up.

Houshakuji stopped in her doorway. "Oh, I came in here for a reason. I will be leaving for America in a few days."

"For how long?"

"Four days. I'm leaving on Sunday. How about we invite Kyouya-san to dinner Saturday night?"

"Alright!" Renge hopped off the bed and grabbed her cell phone that was sitting on the desk.

--

"Still, I was surprised you would find a bride so soon! You seem the type that is the least interested in marriage."

Kyouya did not look up from his computer, noting the rate the Houshakuji stocks closed at. "It's never interest, Fuyumi-nee-san. The marriage is a financial agreement."

"But I saw the press conference," his sister, who sat on the sofa beside him, said. "You seemed very close to her. And may I add I liked the suit you chose."

"Thank you," Kyouya placed his laptop aside and reached for his school bag, opening up his notebooks and textbooks. He laid them out systematically: physiology textbook to the left, anatomy atlas to the right and his notebook right in the middle. "And as regards to my behavior, I do what I must in that situation. We act as willing participants in a mutual engagement, with very little ties to our companies as possible. If the public were to find out that our marriage is of financial gain, they would watch us closer, bad-mouth us, and bring bad press. And that is something I do not want to deal with."

"You think by giving the image of a happy engagement that the press will leave you alone."

"Not leave us alone. Just do not over-step privacy. Besides," he glanced over a chart and diagram of the muscles in the thigh, "if I give those wolves enough to feed on, it should trick them into satisfaction."

"But still," Fuyumi smoothed down the bun in her hair, "what about her feelings?"

"I'm sure she's smart enough to realize our arrangement is of finance."

"But what if she misinterprets your actions?"

Kyouya shook his head. "I do enough to keep her happy. If I upset her, god knows what repercussions I would have to endure. I've been nice to her, I haven't made declarations of love."

"That's not going to be enough, Kyouya-san," Fuyumi warned, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "What if she wants affection? And eventually, when you are older, you'll have to have a child, right?"

"All in due time, Fuyumi-nee-san."

"But from what I've seen, she seems the type to want love, Kyouya-san."

Kyouya touched the top of his pen to his lip. Truth be told, he did not think in that direction. He knew he had to be courteous and chivalrous to the young lady, but loving? He expected kisses and perhaps even sex in the future, but intimacy? It never occurred to Kyouya before. All he cared for was to find the right bride, one with power and a backbone along with it… and beauty did not hurt either. Houshakuji Renge matched the criteria. When he engaged in his own business endeavors, he had the two last names behind him. And in the event that he inherited the Ootori Zaibatsu, their companies would merge, perhaps… Kyouya's opportunities would skyrocket. Really, in the end, Renge was a fine choice.

All he had to do was tolerate her for the rest of his life, even if it did mean enduring through semi-burnt cookies, fangirlish squeals and phone texts galore. No problem.

"I'm not a very affectionate person by nature. She knew this years ago."

"Hm…" Fuyumi mused. And suddenly, her eyes lit up. "When is your engagement party?"

Kyouya blinked. Engagement party? With all the chaos, planning, studying and upcoming events, it completely slipped Kyouya's mind. In fact, he and Renge had not even set a general year for their actual wedding. His glasses turned opaque, glaring uncertainly. "We haven't planned one yet."

Fuyumi gasped. "Kyouya-san! You need to hold an engagement party!"

"We don't even have a wedding date set," Kyouya shook his head, and began to write down some notes. "Besdies, I've been so busy with other things, it slipped my mind."

"Then I'll plan it for you! At least, if you and Renge-san want my help, I'll be more than happy to."

"I'm sure she won't mind," Kyouya answered just when he heard his phone chime. He viewed the screen, seeing that he received a text message.

**Kyouya-sama,**

**Are you busy this Saturday? Otou-sama is inviting you to dinner at our home! **

**Love, Renge**

"From Renge-san?" Fuyumi asked.

"Aa… a dinner invitation to the in-law," Kyouya mused softly. He texted her back quickly and then placed his phone aside.

**I look forward to dinner.**

**Kyouya**

"Kyouya-san?"

He looked up from his notebook.

"Maybe you should do things that aren't necessary. But just some things she wants," Fuyumi received a raided eyebrow from him, so she continued. "You said yourself you're not a very affectionate person. Maybe doing occasional things for her will keep her happy."

"But wouldn't that lead to misinterpretation?"

Fuyumi shook her head. "No, just random acts of kindness to show you appreciate her. So your arrangement remains friendly."

Kyouya seemed to seriously consider the suggestion. "Hm…" he turned back to his notebook, blind to the smile she hid from view.


	4. Chapter 4

Perhaps Love

Part 4

Author's note: Hopefully, you readers will see how these two are viewing their engagement. Let me know how you think of the story so far.

* * *

Renge's Friday seemed as normal as she thought it would be. She got up fairly early, managed to arrive on time and did not sleep through her intermediate economics class.

What was not normal was seeing Kyouya standing outside her classroom. She seemed to freeze in her spot, right as she exited the door. "Kyouya?" she consciously dropped her suffix, as her fellow classmates were passing by, spotting her fiancé.

"You have an hour and a half break, correct?" he stepped up towards her.

For a second, she wondered how he got that information. In the second that followed, she thought again. This is Ootori Kyouya; he made it his business to know everything. "Yes," Renge answered. "But don't you have class?"

"I have an early lunch," he answered. "Would you care for some lunch?"

Instantly, her eyes lit up with little stars. "I'd love to!" she squealed in delight and jumped to him, clinging to his arm. She realized her display and looked up to see a rather surprised expression on his face. Uh-oh… decorum and dignity might have been lost, she realized. Others were watching them in the hallways.

But Kyouya crushed her worries when he took her hand in his, and a gentle smile framed his mouth. "So… where should we eat?"

She led him to a small, upscale bistro right outside of the campus gates. "I go here every now and then for lunch," she informed him as they were seated at a table on the veranda.

"By yourself?" he asked.

"Usually I eat with a classmate, Minako-chan. But she wasn't here today."

"Aa, I see," he opened the menu, noting all the French items listed on the menu.

Within minutes, a waitress came up to them. "Oh, Miss," the waitress immediately recognized her. "The usual?" Renge nodded to her and turned to Kyouya. "And for you, Sir?"

"Filet de porc and apricot tea," he said and quickly handed the menu to her.

The waitress left and Kyouya sat back, sipping his water. As he did, he heard a sound of something rustling. He looked down to the feet of his chair and moved slightly. A few seconds later, the movement again. He reached for his glass again and took a long drink. There, through the glass, he saw a reflection of a camera's lens across the veranda, a few meters away behind Renge. Sloppy, Kyouya thought. Even though surrounded by the shrub, Kyouya could still see him.

Paparazzi were sure obnoxious. Kyouya turned to Renge. "I've been meaning to ask how the ring fits."

"Oh, it fits fine. See?" And Renge proceeded to rotate her wrist, showing that the ring was in place.

Click.

How predictable, Kyouya mused. He reached out to Renge's left hand and used his thumb to gently stroke her small knuckles. Her words stopped in her throat when he touched her. He smiled at her, the smile she had gotten quite used to, and whispered, "Come closer."

Curious, she slowly leaned in and Kyouya scooted closer, his lips brushing her hair, his breath fanning her ear. "Don't look. Behind you is a man with a camera." Renge was about to jerk her head in that direction but Kyouya moved his hand from her hand to her chin, keeping her line of sight towards him. "Don't look, I said," but she could hear the amusement in his voice. "We can speak in whispers but remember: we're a happy couple." He leaned back as the waitress served her coffee and his tea.

Renge could feel her cheeks flush although she tried desperately to find something to discuss. "I--," she paused for a second, and then she continued. "You seem to like tea more than coffee."

He looked up as he poured a small cube of sugar in his teacup. "I honestly didn't start drinking coffee until meeting Tamaki. I like it but I still prefer tea."

"I see… so Tamaki-san influenced it on you?"

"More like poured it down my throat. He wanted to see if sitting in a kotatsu and drinking coffee was any different from doing the same but with tea. So, I was subject to his experiment."

"But still!" Renge gleed. "The bond between male friends! Like brothers; it's beautiful!" She watched him shrug. Renge leaned forward slightly. "Tell me more about you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Your likes, dislikes, your favorite designer, favorite food… anything! I just want to get to know my fiancé more," she added after a pause.  
"I never think about those types of things. If I find it appealing, then I find it so and that's the end of it," he sipped his tea. "It keeps my life simple."

"You have to have something!" Renge chimed. "What do you do in your free time?"

"Usually, it's being dragged to some commoner's event, thanks to Tamaki," Kyouya answered quite squarely. "Last time, he forced us all to go to Pallet Town. Of course, that was nearly a month ago. I'm surprised he hasn't harassed me into another forsaken place."

Renge watched as he spoke. Although his words were angry, his voice still remained level and cool. Ah, his cool personality showed again. Trying to act distant or spiteful but really, he must like Tamaki. To endure a friend with that many mood swings for so long? Why, Kyouya must have the patience of Buddha.

Their food arrived and as they ate, Renge spoke about everything: her classes, the professors, her father, his strange business partners with children that looked like trolls… He only listened, not putting a word into the conversation.

"By the way," Renge changed subject once again. "When should we decide on a date for the ceremony?"

Kyouya paused. "I'm not quite sure. However, my sister brought up the idea of an engagement party."

Renge dropped her fork; it clattered harshly on the plate. "Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about that!"

Renge's eyes showed the early signs of panic, but Kyouya interrupted her. "Don't worry. If you like, Fuyumi-nee-san can help. At least, she seems quite interested in doing so."

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. "I would love her help!"

"Alright then, I'll make that call." He pulled out his phone and texted in a reminder while she continued to speak. Occasionally, Kyouya would crack a smile for her.

By the end of lunch, there were two other photographers in the bushes.

--

Renge always considered herself a girl with style. She had a broad closet spanning the size of a room, with designer labels from Badgley Mishka, Burberry to Chanel. And yet for the life of her, she could not pick an outfit to wear. At first, she thought of wearing his favorite color but came to the horrible conclusion that she did not know it. In fact, as the minutes ticked away, she realized how she never agonized before when it came to a choice of wardrobe. She found herself at a loss.

And Kyouya was arriving for dinner in thirty minutes.

Quickly, Renge pulled out a yellow dress with a white shrug to cover her shoulders. She had fussed with her hair and makeup for quite some time before finally leaving her room and heading downstairs.

"Would you like a drink, Kyouya-san?" she heard her father's voice from the lounge. She stopped on the staircase as she heard the shuffling of feet coming from the lounge a few feet away.

"Your red wine looks superb," came Kyouya's voice.

She was positive Kyouya looked rather cool with a wine glass in hand.

"It's my own label from Tuscany," Houshakuji admitted.

"Ah, yes. You also have one in France, do you not?"

"Yes," Renge's heard her father. She could see two faint silhouettes stretching from the room to the grand foyer.

"So, where is Renge-kun now?"

She frowned slightly. She did not want to admit it, but that suffix bothered her. Whenever they were in public, he would just call her by name. However, when they were alone or with family, "-kun" would find itself at the end of her name. To be perfectly frank, she did not like it very much.

"She's upstairs getting ready. But that will give us some time to speak."

Groom to Father-in-law… Renge had seen these scenarios before on television many times: the meaningful "If you hurt my daughter" talks. She never thought of her father as the type to say those sorts of things, so she remained quiet, listening closely.

"I didn't expect Renge to become engaged at such a young age. However, seeing as it is you who is the groom, I can rest easier."

"I feel honored, Sir."

"And it seems as if she is becoming quite accustomed, dare I say fond of you, in such a short amount of time. I trust that you will take care of her."

"Of course. Renge-kun is very special."

Renge clutched the banister tightly. She could feel her chest tighten, pushing the oxygen from her lungs. For some reason, Kyouya's words pulled something inside of her, causing a chain reaction to occur in her body. She was frozen solid on the foot of the stairs. She was left breathless. Her eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat. She felt… different from moments prior. She could not imagine those few words, with the warm voice of Kyouya, could have such an affect on her system. Renge could not even find words for it. She just felt as if she were floating.

"I see…" Houshakuji said. "Well, dinner should be ready by now." The two shadows in front of her sharpened as they headed to the door. Both men exited the room with wine glasses in hand. They looked up and saw Renge at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh, Renge," her father said. "You're just in time."

Renge's eyes widened when her gaze fell onto Kyouya. He smiled gently at her, bowing his head slightly. Say something, her mind scolded. "I JUST GOT HERE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Both men took a step back, surprised by her voice's volume. "Ah… so it seems," her dad nodded. "Shall we have dinner?"

She nodded quickly in a small jerking head motions. Renge felt so out of control with herself as the evening passed. She did not trust herself to open her mouth. Renge listened helplessly as Kyouya and her father spoke of business. When a question was posed to her, she would answer fiercely, yelling at the top of her lungs and then guzzled down her water with intensity. The dinner seemed awkward whenever she was poised to speak; Kyouya only stared with opaque glasses while Houshakuji wondered what the hell was wrong with his daughter.

"I read recently that the Asou family is planning to buy the Goudo hospitals," Houshakuji brought up.

"Yes, it's true. However, our family has already started negotiations with both families," Kyouya answered after wiping his mouth clean.

"Ah, as expected of Ootori-san," Houshakuji chuckled. "Is he handling the negotiations personally?"

"He will eventually. At first, my brother Akito discussed with the Goudos while I addressed the Asous."

"Your father seems to have great faith in you. Neh, Renge?"

"KYOUYA-SAMA IS SO COOL!" Renge burst. The men were struck silent again. Renge reached for her glass and noticed it was empty. A maid slid up beside her, poured her glass full and returned to her place against the wall. Renge downed the glass of water in one breath.

Houshakuji cleared his throat. "Well, I think I'm to retire now. I have an early flight tomorrow." He stood from his chair and bowed his head. "Kyouya-san, it was a pleasure to see you. Give my regards to your father."

Kyouya stood, bowing his head at a lower angle compared to him. "I will. And thank you, Sir. Have a safe trip."

"Thank you," Houshakuji turned to his daughter, a hand to her shoulder. "Good night, Renge."

She kept her lips shut tight and nodded her head. Renge watched as her father left the dining room, leaving her with the maid, a butler and Kyouya, who sat opposite to her at the table.

"You don't seem well," came his voice.

Renge whipped her head in his direction. "I'M FINE!" she hollered.

His eyebrow twitched. He stood from his chair. "Go get some rest, Renge-kun--."

"Why do you say that?" she found her mouth saying before she realized it.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you call me by that? Why not just 'Renge'?"

"I've been calling you that since high school."

"But can't you call me by just my name all the time?" Renge asked, her voice now hoarse from the previous yelling. "I mean, you do that when we're in public…" She looked up to him and immediately felt regret was over her.

He was staring down at her with narrowed eyes. His eyes were dark and unreadable, as much as Renge kept her gaze locked on him, nothing registered through.

For the first time in her life, she felt as if she pushed a limit. Her only best bet was that Kyouya was mad at her, the way he looked at her right now.

"I'm tired," he said quietly. "Would you see me to the door?"

Renge nodded and stood from her seat. He was mad. She walked a few steps behind of him down the foyer, towards the front door. He paused as the butter who followed opened the door for him. Kyouya stepped through the threshold and paused again in front of the open door. He turned and said, "The mayor's charity ball is this Wednesday."

She glanced up at him, still seeing the same expression in his eyes. Quickly, she looked down to his feet, staring at the details of his leather shoes. "Alright." And quite unexpectedly, she soon felt a weight on her head.

Kyouya reached out to Renge, placing a hand on to her hand. "Good night, Renge."

Renge's eyes widened and looked up to his. His eyes completely changed; she could not see the previous dark traces anymore. In place of it was a soft smile. He turned on his heels and headed to his car.

As the butler closed the door, her hand slowly moved up to where his previously was. Within moments, a pink blush erupted on her face. She squealed in fits of 'moe!', as she ran up the stairs to her room, shutting the door behind her and danced around on the floor.

--

"So, how did dinner go?" the blond man wiggled with anticipation as he sat on Kyouya's couch.

"I avoided disaster," Kyouya said, briefly looking up from the Sunday business section.

"Hm?" Tamaki looked to his friend, sitting beside him. "Disaster?"

Just then, a butler knocked on the door. "Bocchama, I brought the periodicals you requested."

"Come in," Kyouya said without looking up for his paper. He read over the last few charts and then quickly folded it up and placed it down on the coffee table. He remained silent as the butler placed the materials down beside the business section, bowed and left. Kyouya reached over to one of the magazines and opened it. "She was having trouble with me addressing her with a formality."

"Ah, I see," Tamaki's eyes moved up to the ceiling. "Well, names are important to some people."

Somwhere in Kyouya's memory, he could hear a teenage Tamaki jumping for joy, being able to call Kyouya by first name. "Hm…" Perhaps it was a foreigner's thing and their need for familiarity… "She inisists that I call her by just 'Renge'."

"And are you going to?" Tamaki reached for another magazine.

"Of course. Upsetting her will not benefit me in the slightest."

"Good. If you did upset her, I'd be quite disappointed with you," Tamaki stopped to a page when he spotted a familiar face. A large picture of Kyouya and Renge, sitting at a white cloth table, stood in the middle of the page. He briefly skimmed over the article, talking about the young couple's engagement and their sweet lunch together. "When was this?" he showed the picture to his friend, with glimmers of interest in his eyes.

Kyouya looked up from his own magazine. "Oh," after realizing what Tamaki was referring to. "I took her out to lunch one day."

"It says here you walked her to class after."

"I did." Kyouya's glasses turned opaque; he moved back slightly when Tamaki gave a devilish grin. "What?"

"Oh, Kyouya, you truly are a gentleman!" Tamaki dramatically swept his bangs aside and sighed gracefully. "Chivalry is not dead to you!"

"Of course not; there were people watching," Kyouya said, putting the _Nihon Weekly_ down and picking up another magazine.

"Oh, Kyouya, don't say that," Tamaki picked up the magazine Kyouya just abandoned and saw an article of the press conference. He then proceeded to glance through the other six magazines sitting on the table. "Neh, Kyouya," he noticed, "these all cover your engagement."

"I'd like to see the press coverage that's being made."

"Oh…" Tamaki's eyes fell to another set of pictures at their lunch, only this time at a closer angle. One had Kyouya holding her hand, another one fo him touching her face. Tamaki's face erupted in a grin. "You're quite physical with her," he said, holding up another magazine for Kyouya to see. "In fact, this is the only time I've ever seen you touch a woman, period. Back in the Host Club, you didn't eve do that."

Kyouya mused that Tamaki must have conveniently forgotten that one time… Haruhi and Kyouya in a darken room at Nekozawa's beach resort… Although nothing had happened and Kyouya merely spent that time to teach the girl how Tamaki felt, Tamaki _did not _look happy at the scene. "Merely for show."

"Hm…" Tamaki continued to flip through the pages. "So, what exactly happened during dinner again?"

"It was strange. During dinner, whenever she spoke, she was screaming. But after dinner, that disappeared. And then, she brought up her name," Kyouya placed the magazine down and leaned back, with his arm draped over the backrest of the couch. "I still have yet to understand that. I honestly didn't realize that it would be so upsetting to call her 'Renge-kun' in privacy, but 'Renge' when we're in public."

Tamaki's eyes widened slightly. "It's a good thing you're going to stick with 'Renge'."

Kyouya released a sound, somewhat between a grunt and a scoff. "It seems I underestimated this marital arrangement."

"How so?"

"Because I barely avoided a confrontation. I have more important things to deal with."

"Nonsense!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Nothing is more important than a maiden's feelings!"

Tamaki earned a hard stare from Kyouya. "Why are you here again?" the spectacled man asked.

"To hear about your dinner!"

"Is that all?"

"And to also get advice…"

"About…?"

"Well…" Tamaki twiddled his thumbs for a moment. "Renge's father seems to like you and…"

"And?" Kyouya crossed his arms as his friend trailed off. "What's your point?"

"So… so…" Tamaki immediately burst in a waterfall of tears and jumped towards Kyouya. "How can I get Haruhi's dad to like me and even invite me over for dinner?!"  
Oh, so that was it…

"It's not fair! I've been nothing but a gentleman to his daughter! I love Haruhi but her father calls me an enemy!" Tamaki began to sway back and forth with tears pouring down his face, dripping on Kyouya's couch. "Why am I his enemy?!"

Kyouya considered explaining to him Ranka's point of view but decided against it. Besides, there was no fun in telling him so soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Perhaps Love

Part 5

Author's notes: The website is updated, of course. And I love hearing from you all, so please keep the reviews and personal messages coming. I'll try to get back to everyone ASAP.

I think it's best that I address something here. I've been getting reviews and PMs about Renge's personality. I'm not claiming that I'm an expert at writing Renge, but I hope that as the story progresses, the story will show where her character really stands. It was hard to see it, especially in the last chapter, since I cut it off so abruptly. Hopefully, this chapter will shed some clearer light on our heroine.So, please stay tuned to see how Renge will develop.

* * *

Renge sat on her bed surrounded by magazines and newspapers, each one bearing a picture of her and Kyouya.

Something just was not right with her. It took her a while to realize it: Kyouya was responsible for making her feel so… out of sorts. It began when he was over for dinner a few nights ago. When he told her father that she was special, it set off a chain reaction in her body. And whenever he touched her, she could feel a warmth erupt inside her system.

She really had no idea it would end up like this. Kyouya was always the cool type of character, with quiet princely charm. And although he was admirable in his own way, she never thought a real attraction would arise.

That was until the Mayor's charity ball last night. She arrived with Kyouya in his town car and through the entire time, she could not help but stare at him. He was dressed in a coattail suit that seemed just for him, structured in a way to further compliment his frame. He only complimented her once on how she looked, which somewhat disappointed her, seeing as she took over three hours to get ready.

But as the night continued, Renge was always beside him, being proudly introduced as his fiancée. Kyouya always had her close by, whether a nonchalant hand to the small of her back or a hand around her waist. And when they danced, Renge thought she would faint. Kyouya held her close as he whirled her around the dance floor. She was positive that she must have stepped on his toes once or twice, but he did not break face. Throughout the whole night, it was like Cinderella spending time with her Prince Charming.

Until it was time to head home. As soon as the car door closed, he let go of her hand and rested his other arm on the door's armrest. The absence of his grip was deeply missed… but she could not tell him that, could she? Renge already risked angering him days ago and frankly, she did not want to become victim to his dark gaze… not again.

It was that night when she realized something: she wanted Kyouya to notice her. She wanted to be near him. She wanted Kyouya to know she wanted to be near him.

She buried her face in her hands.

His gestures, his words, his smiles… She wanted it all to be _real._ She never anticipated that. At first, she thought it was a regression to her Miyabi fixation from years back. Perhaps it was even comparable to her admiration for Haruhi-kun (before she knew the truth of "The Natural Type's" gender). But after much thinking, Renge knew her feelings for Kyouya were different. For the first time, she wanted strong reciprocated feelings. In her past, just having her subjects of idolization close by were enough… But now Kyouya, Kyouya her fiancé, he made things different. Renge wanted Kyouya to long for her presence just as she wanted his… and knowing that he did not hurt so much.

Renge slapped both her cheeks simultaneously, causing her face to turn red. Why was she being such a depressing person? She was Houshakuji Renge, master of character analysis and development! Queen of personality shaping!

"Aya!" she hollered, her voice echoing throughout the house.

Within a few moments, her maid came dashing into the room. "Yes, Ojou-sama?"

Renge stood on top of her bed, feet sinking into the mattress. "I need all the recent magazines that give love advice! Specifically how to win a man's heart! Fast!"

"But-but, Ojou-sama--!"

Renge turned away, eyes gazing out to the window, hands clasped together as if in prayer. "Just you wait, Kyouya-sama! I'll make you fall in love with me!"

She was Houshakuji Renge, a special girl who would not give up until the bitter end.

--

Kyouya pulled a small muscle aside. His partner, Kimura, the son of a large conglomerate, pointed a gloved finger to the exposed white fiber. "That's not the sciatic nerve, is it?" Kimura guessed.

"That's the Plantaris tendon."

Kimura shook his head. "Of course! We only talked about it last week!"

The anatomy lab was brightly lit with fluorescent lights. The class was well dispersed within the room, looking at opened cadavers in the back of the room and disassembled feet laid out on the benches.

Kyouya was sincerely bored out of his mind. He had been staring at the internal muscles of the leg for days, so much that he started dreaming about them in his sleep. He was confident that he could identify them with his eyes closed. He tried to look attentive to the complex mass of fibers that lay before him but he quickly found it a losing battle. It was past one o'clock. He had been in lab for almost three hours.

The sound of a door opening made a noise among all the muttering students. "How about the quadratus femoris?" Kyouya prompted continuing their mock quiz to one another. Kyouya looked up and noticed his partner was detached from the task at hand. Kimura was not looking at the cadaver or the body atlas in his arms. "Kimura-san?"

"Hey, Ootori-san," Kimura asked, "Isn't that--?"

"Kyouya!" came the high-pitch voice of a woman, interrupting him.

"—Your girlfriend?" Kimura finished.

Kyouya turned around and saw his tawny haired fiancée standing beside his professor, previously engaged in casual conversation. She spotted him from across the room and began to wave at him. "So it seems…" Kyouya muttered. He stepped back from the cadaver, yanked off his latex gloves and threw them in the nearby waste bin. "Give me a moment," Kyouya requested to Kimura.

"Sure thing."

Kyouya approached Renge without a word. "Excuse me, Sensei," he bowed his head and took Renge gently by the elbow to escort her outside in the hallway. He ignored his professor's amused chuckle as the door shut close on its own. "What are you doing here, Renge?"

"I thought we could have munch together?" Renge smiled, pulling up a large box in view. The large bento bow was wrapped in a magenta cloth, decorated with pink flowers all over the fabric.

Kyouya raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have class now?" Last time he remembered, she had second semester speech class.

"It's just lecture. She has her notes online," she smiled, satisfied with herself. "So I can have lunch with you now."

He could not believe this.

"Don't you want lunch? I made it myself!"

"You did?" There was a sprinkle of disbelief in his voice.

"Well, no… my cook made it but I told him what to make… except the cookies!" Renge beamed again. "I baked the cookies myself."

Kyouya frowned. He could not just send her off. If he did so, Kyouya could risk upsetting her, a reaction he did not want to deal with at the moment. "My lab is done in half an hour." Would that send her away?

Renge nodded. "Okay, I'll wait. Work hard, Kyouya-hakase," she said with affection.

Kyouya turned on his heels and entered the lab room. It took every fiber of control in his body to not roll his eyes as he reached the professor's desk. He stuck his hand in a cardboard box to pull on a new pair of latex gloves. "Sorry for the interruption," he apologized to Kimura. "Where were we?"

"Must be nice to have a fiancée that brings lunch," Kimura said with a smile on his face.

Kyouya was not amused by his partner's comment. In fact, when he looked around, the other men in lab, including his professor, were snickering or exchanging knowing looks. Kyouya sighed. "So… where were we?" he said again, trying to steer the conversation towards class.

"Go on ahead, Ootori-san."

Kyouya looked up in the direction of his classmate. "Excuse me?"

"It's just basic review," Kimura said. "It's not like we have a quiz soon. Besides, you have the highest grades in our class; I bet you already know these muscles."

That was true, Kyouya thought. And lunch did seem appetizing. "Well then," Kyouya pulled off his gloves and his lab coat. "If you don't mind." He hung the coat on a nearby rack and gathered his things.

"Have fun!" his partner called as the door closed behind him.

Just as he stepped out in the hall, he spotted her standing on the wall opposite to the door. "I thought you said thirty minutes."

Kyouya swung his messenger bag over his shoulder. "I left early." He watched the lights appear in her eyes. "Let's go, shall we?" He walked towards the main exit with Renge quickly catching up.

--

"It was really cool! Haruhi showed me a vending machine with cold AND hot drinks!" Tamaki explained via telephone. "It makes sense though, right? Commoners work so hard, but what if they want a hot drink but there are only cold vending machines nearby? Rather than risking the chance of passing out due to their 16-hour-work day, all machines should be hot and cold! It's brilliant!"

Kyouya continued to let Tamaki ramble about his outing with Haruhi ("Not a date!" Tamaki cried, "Unless, well… do you really think so?"). Beeping occasionally interrupted his words; Kyouya pulled his phone back and noticed he had another text message. Kyouya groaned.

"What's wrong?" Tamaki asked.

"Nothing," Kyouya answered. "I received another message from Renge."

"Again? Is that the… eighth one?"

"Twelfth," Kyouya groaned again. At that very moment, he reached for his mail and fished through the bills. "She has a tendency to send me random messages everyday. On average is about twelve or fourteen," Kyouya found his cell phone bill, "and most of the time, it's what she's doing, where she's going, what she ate," he said the last one with a touch of disdain.

"But it's a little sweet, isn't it? I mean, it's almost as if you are beside her."

"It's not sweet, it's annoying," Kyouya admitted without holding back. He ripped open his cell phone bill and a long paper unfolded like an accordion, stretching tot eh other side of the room to the couch where he sat. "And according to my bill, last month, she texted me roughly three hundred times."

"She's devoted," Tamaki told him. "You have to admire that."

"No, I don't," Kyouya struggled to refold the bill. "We've been going out constantly, she comes over to bring me lunch, she drags me shopping and she texts me on the hour! We've been engaged for over two months, but she acts as if we're dating!" Kyouya lost his top, slamming his bill down to the floor. He let out a long sigh. "Calm down," he spoke to himself as if Tamaki was not on the phone. Kyouya leaned back, with a hand running through his hair. I'm not making any sense. She is my future wife, after all…"

"Neh, Kyouya…"

"I just have to suck it up and calm down," Kyouya sighed, feeling his temper drop to his stomach.

"Um, Kyouya…" Tamaki spoke again.

"No matter how much she's getting on my nerves. But I need her… ironically." Kyouya suddenly heard snickering coming from Tamaki's voice. "…And this is amusing because?"

"I haven't hard you have so much energy," Tamaki explained. "It's refreshing! A young man involved in a spontaneous romance! It's beautiful! C'est magnifique!"

"You're joking," Kyouya tossed his junk mail aside. "I thought she grew out of her strange fangirlisms, but she's just as clingy, perhaps worse! She's demanding, unpredictable, whining--."

"Kyouya-sama!" his bedroom door flew open to reveal Renge standing proudly in the doorway.

"—And she's here, dammit," Kyouya muttered for only Tamaki to hear.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. I'll call you back." Kyouya closed his phone and started doing a mental check-off. Breathe. Keep your temper low. Keep your voice level. Pretend you actually do not mind her company. For god sakes, smile. "Renge? This is a surprise."

"Oh, it gets better, I promise!" she entered his room without inhibition. "Now, we've been together for a while and I thought we she take care for something. Like a joint effort!"

A possible business proposition? "And what is this joint effort?"

Renge grinned at his interest and deposited her large Gucci carrier on the coffee table in from of him. The bag immediately opened and out popped a tiny puff of fur with large round eyes, and sporting a gigantic dark rose ribbon, similar to Renge's own. "It's a dog," he said quite plainly.

"She's our dog," Renge answered. "Come here, Sophie!" The Pomeranian hopped out of its bag and happily barked while jumping to Renge, who joined her fiancé on the couch. "Isn't she precious?"

She was rather cute, Kyouya had to admit. The dog was about the same size of his two hands, with soft brown fur, and a ribbon in its hair worn in the same style as Renge… still… "This is the joint effort you spoke of?"

Renge nodded animatedly. "You can take her for a week or two, then we'll switch. It'll bring us closer together… like a family," Renge admitted with blushing cheeks.

Kyouya did not know whether to take her seriously or be fiercely appalled. He had to think. "I see…" was the only thing he managed to say. He watched as little Sophie jumped to his lap, stared at him with round shiny dark eyes and then proceeded to take a nibble on his shirt and tugged back.

"She likes you!" Renge beamed.

Kyouya fought every urge in his body to pick up the tiny puppy and throw it across the room.

"Now, I know what you're thinking," Renge said as she dug in the carrier. "I bought her a few weeks ago but I already sent her to training. All you have to do is let her walk in your front yard or set up a little place to do her business." She pulled out a small plush man wearing a white blazer and red scarf. "Here you are!" Renge cooed and Sophie turned all its attention to the plush. It yanked it out of Renge's hand and jumped to the floor, rolling around and playing with that. "She loves Miyabi-sama," she smiled to Kyouya. "Of course, could you blame her? But no one can replace Otou-san," she told him, smiling in his direction.

Strange, Kyouya thought, since he was always called 'Okaa-san'…

Kyouya sat silently as the dog yanked at Miyabi-plushie, finally pulling its arm half-off.

--

As the weeks passed, Kyouya thought he was slowly losing his mind. Her classes usually ended earlier than his, so almost everyday, he would find her waiting outside his classroom. How she figured his schedule out, he would never know. He expected that sort of thing from himself, not her… And he had soon developed a stomach of iron, trying to down her culinary experiments. She was quite good with French food, for obvious reasons, but her Italian trials were anything but successful.

And on their dates on the weekends, she would insist on romantic getaways and couple-like activities, like visiting the beach, taking pictures and whatnot, having a picnic in the country, etcetera, and etcetera.

What started out as a simple agreement had turned into an involuntary whirlwind romance before he could stop it. He was starting to think he made a mistake. He knew he was perfectly clear of his intentions with her… but upon thinking about it again, Kyouya realized that maybe he never told her. He just assumed she understood that his affections were merely for show. So he dug himself in that hole. But he never expected her to become so… _obsessed_ with him. Perhaps within these months, some feelings have developed on her part. And not the fangirl idolization type… perhaps love?

Of course not. Real love? Renge probably did not even know the difference. Her fangirl affections probably resurfaced and decided to pour it all on Kyouya.

Either way, to save his sanity, he had to start seeing her less. Soon. Otherwise, he would lose his strength.

Something started yipping uncontrollably, followed by tugging of his sheets. He groaned, yanking the blankets over his head. It was probably only seven in the morning; his alarm was not supposed to go off for at least another fifteen minutes. But the tiny barking continued and it yanked at his sheets.

It was that stupid dog. It had been his turn to keep it this time around and it had kept him up all night with its running around. Kyouya took one last hard yank of the sheets, sending the puppy flying off the bed and into the air.

And for a moment, there was peace.

Until the whirl of machinery began. To be more precise, the sound of a high-powered motor interrupted his morning. He sat up and watched to his utter horror a platform rise from the floor to his room. It rose up a good couple of feet, and at the very top stood his very happy, very awake fiancée. The dog that he sent flying through the air, plopped down beside her with precision, and added a bark to the end of her landing.

"Good morning, Kyouya-sama!" Renge greeted. She was dressed in a knee-length orange dress with a beige apron, complete with frills and lace. She made her way down the stairs installed on her platform with a tray of food in her hands. "I made you breakfast," she said proudly. "An American one, so it doesn't have any rice. Nonetheless, it's filled with my love!" And she showed him the omelet, complete with a heart drawn in ketchup.

Kyouya's brain seemed to snap at that very moment. He could not feel control over his own body as it fell back onto the bed. Renge put the tray down on his nightstand and began to shake him. "Kyouya-sama… wake up… time to wake--."

Kyouya shot up from his lying position, giving Renge a freight. "I slept at four in the morning," he growled. "I don't want breakfast." Uninviting dark vibes seemed to escape Kyouya, trying to show his hostility levels increasing.

But Renge would not budge. "But Kyouya--!"

"I'M NOT HUNGRY!" he exclaimed with such a fit, causing shrill shrieks to escape Renge and Sophie. Before he could say anymore, his head last blood; he began to feel woozy and he flopped back on his pillows, falling fast asleep.

When he woke up almost half an hour later, he noticed a tray of cold breakfast sitting and waiting for him. Kyouya could not recall the happenings of that morning; it took a while for him to recollect it all: Renge, breakfast, trying to wake him up…

She probably ran away, scared out of her mind, Kyouya realized. Even so, this was all too much. As soon as he found the motivation to get up, his phone blew up with text messages, all from Renge.

**Are you mad at me?**

**What did I do?**

**Please don't be mad, breakfast is good for you!**

**Please call me ASAP!**

Kyouya tossed his phone aside, leaving it on his bed. He had to do something, quick.

It took him a while to finally figure it out. He stepped out of class and into the empty hall in the middle of his anatomy lab. He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and dialed her number. Quickly, within two rings, she answered her phone. "Hello? Kyouya-sama?"

"How are you?" he greeted.

"Are you mad?" she exploded. "I'm so sorry I upset you!"

"Renge--."

"I should have told you I was coming!"

"Renge--."

"I just wanted to make you food like a good wife--."

"Renge," Kyouya raised his voice slightly, silencing her. When she said nothing, he took a deep breath. "Perhaps I should have told you I'm not a morning person."

A few sniffles were heard from her side. "So… you're not angry?"

"No," Kyouya answered without changing face. He heard a sigh of relief. "But Renge, I need to ask you a favor."

"Anything, Kyouya-sama."

He waited a breath before answering. "Midterms are coming up for the both of us. Maybe we should see each other less so we can focus." He paused for a moment before continuing. "We could see one another on the weekends. It's just… perhaps on the weekdays…" He slowly trailed off, letting the request sink in. He wondered how she would react. Would she cry in hysterics? Would she whine and complain that she absolutely had to see him? He was pleasantly surprised when he did not receive a protest, but rather an encouraged agreement. "Well, you're right!" Kyouya could not help but feel slightly shocked. "It would be horrible if we scored low, now wouldn't it?" she added.

A few beats passed before he continued. "How about we see each other the Sunday after next, on the 19th. The hospital has a fundraiser that night."

"Okay! I can't wait!"

Kyouya kept the phone to his ear. He looked straight across the hall, musing about how to gracefully end the conversation. _Forget decorum._ "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Later!"

Kyouya ended the call and tucked the phone in his pants pocket. She would most likely continue to text him, Kyouya frowned. And call him… but he would not have to see her during the week, which was a start. He re-entered anatomy lab with a different mood.


	6. Chapter 6

Perhaps Love

Part 6

Author's Note: Sorry that I moved the story without notice. But I'm glad people are still keeping tracks and reviewing. And I'm also sorry about the late update! With the holiday season, I was out of town, and I didn't get time to update. So, if you have any questions, comments or criticism, please leave me a line and I'll try to respond with a personal message as soon as possible. And of course, please check the website for this story (the link can be found on my profile page)!

* * *

Renge felt as if she was running out of luck. She could not understand it; by now, Kyouya should be as lovey-dovey as her! However, if anything, he had been acting the same since they got engaged months ago. Was she doing something wrong? She could not have; she followed what all the magazines said.

_The way to a man's heart is his stomach._ She cooked lunch for him frequently, and breakfast once… with scary results. Still, she learned how to perfect her French cuisine.

_Even if you are apart, show that you are thinking of him._ Renge texted or called Kyouya on the hour, telling him of her plans, her test grades, her favorite foods, and her other daily happenings. It kept them connected, she thought.

_Sharing a task will strengthen your bond._ Caring for Sophie was like taking care of a child; it needed constant attention. If it were not for their butlers and maids, they would not be able to care for the puppy. And it seemed as if Kyouya was not that affectionate with the dog… Perhaps he never had a pet growing up.

Renge followed all the advice! Kyouya should be eating out of the palm of her hand!

So, Renge decided to make him so physically attracted to her, he would be knocked off his feet! She made a special call to her connections in Europe to get her hands on a black off the shoulder lace tea length dress (because black meant mysterious and supposedly women with an air of mystery was sexy to men). She called hair and makeup artists from Hollywood to work magic on her, pulling her hair back in a barrel curl and smoking up her eyes. It was very nice, a little too dark for Renge's taste, but maybe, just maybe he would like it.

However, he said nothing. When she stepped in the car, Kyouya blinked, double-taking her appearance. He noticed, so it seemed, but remained silent.

Her strategy was not working, much to Renge's dismay. They had met with his father and his brother Akito right before dinner started at the banquet hall. They were all seated at the front table, Yoshio in the center, Akito to his left, Kyouya to his right and Renge beside her fiancé. He did the typical, expected show he always did: smiled at her, gently touched her hand with his own… She knew that was all for show, Kyouya told her to act like a happy couple many times before, but it always felt so genuine. It looked as if he was smiling because he truly liked her, and that he touched her because he could not bear to be apart from her. It was so easy for her to believe that. _He_ made it easy to believe.

As dinner ended and Kyouya made his social rounds, Renge could not help but notice how public the Ootoris were. The Houshakuji Company, although rich and strong in its own right, was nowhere near as active as the Ootori Zaibatsu; the Ootoris took center stage. The only family in Japan she could think of that overcame them was the Suou. Kyouya's life was always busy; imagine Tamaki's once his inheritance was official. She had made her own personal rounds too, speaking to the occasional old classmates from Ouran and the old acquaintances of her father. Everything else was fairly mundane. Until she obtained the Houshakuji Company and participated in her own functions, she was reduced to a 'trophy wife'. Renge gently fiddled with the curls that were draped over her shoulder.

Her eyes moved through the crowd and spotted him a few meters away. Even seeing him then still made her heart tug; there was something completely marvelous about him. She could not pinpoint it exactly… maybe it was not just one thing, but everything about him. She surprised herself though; she expected to fall in love with a warmer person… the type that admired flowers and cared for stray kittens…

Then again, looking back on all those times they had gone on dates, he was not cold, per se… just distant. Was there anyone who could read through him? Renge tilted her head. She wanted to understand him. She took a step forward and the crowd parted for a moment. In an instant, she saw who Kyouya was talking to: a man about the same height as him, slightly older, with blond hair and dark grey eyes with a long chiseled jaw.

No way. It could not be…? She took a closer step to Kyouya, getting a closer view of his companion. When she was only a few feet away, she was absolutely appalled.

"Oh," the blond said in English. "Here's the lucky lady, I presume."

Kyouya turned around, noting Renge's presense. "Ah, Renge," he spoke in the same language. "Let me introduce you. This is Adrian Scripp. His father owns a medical equipment company in Los Angeles."

"We've met," Renge frowned, and her arm snaked around Kyouya's.

Adrian smiled. "Now I recognize you. We met in Monaco, right?"

"Yes," Renge tugged Kyouya's arm. "Kyouya, can I speak with you?" she switched back to Japanese.

"Why?"

"Because! Do you plan to do business with him?"

"Perhaps."

"You mustn't! He's a horrible person!"

"Don't you think it's rude by excluding our guest with our language?" Kyouya turned back to Adrian, giving him a controlled smile.

"I'll stop being rude," Renge continued in English, "if he apologizes to Angelique!" and she proceeded to give him an angry glare.

Kyouya turned to a slightly embarrassed Adrian. "Oh…" was all the foreigner said.

" 'Oh'? You left Angelique and all you can say is 'Oh'?!" Renge continued in the foreign language, turning to Kyouya. "This horrible man wooed my friend but left her by the end of the trip. He didn't answer her calls and he even pretended he didn't know her!"

"Um… so, Ootori," Adrian tried to speak over her. "We have this new state of the art--."

"Don't change the subject!" Renge exclaimed. "You're truly the worst! I've seen some fakes in my time, but you are the epitome of—."

"Our CT machines now only take three-fourths of the space and--."

"Do you have any idea how heartbroken she was?!"

Renge continued to scold the foreigner, while Adrian tried his best to continue the conversation with Kyouya. Both spoke in raised voices simultaneously, filling Kyouya's ears, jumbling the noises. Renge only paid small attention to the eyes around them, who were wondering on the nature of the heated discussion. She felt her anger rise higher as he deliberately ignored what she was saying. But before she continued, she felt Kyouya move, repositioning an arm around her small waist. "I'm sorry, Scripp. Would you excuse me for a moment?"

"Sure…"

Kyouya pulled Renge closer to him. "Kyouya-sa--," she chirped as he directed her through the banquet hall and out of the room. He stormed her through the foyer, past the other attendees. Simultaneously, he pulled out his cell phone. "Please pull the car to the front," he ordered quickly, and then ended his call.

"Kyouya-sama!" Renge tried to pull away, but Kyouya quickly grabbed her hand when she wiggled free. "I'm not finished with him yet!"

"I believe you made your point tonight, Renge."

Renge stomped and yanked her hand out of his grip. Again, Kyouya took it and dragged her outside the building, towards the same curb they arrived at earlier in the evening. "You can't be serious?" Renge exclaimed. "He's a despicable person! You can't do business with him."

"I wasn't aware that was any of your concern."

Something cracked in Renge's chest. "Of course it is! We're engaged, we're supposed to listen to one another!" She kept her voice fairly loud, she soon realized, when she noticed Kyouya was looking around. A few feet in every direction was either a guest or a photographer.

Kyouya sighed. "His personal love life isn't a concern. Overall, his company is very important, with potential I can use," he said very quietly.

"Kyouya-sama, please listen!"

Slowly, without hesitation, Kyouya took a step forward. She did not hear the car's arrival, just his breath against her ear as he pulled her into his arms, both wrapped around her shoulders, taking her whole frame in. Renge gasped at his gesture, feeling her heartbeat bang against her chest, jumping towards him. Her knees felt like they would melt underneath her, feeling his warm body pressed against hers. Her mind was in the clouds…

"You're my fiancée, not my business partner. Do you see the difference?"

…And soon, her mind crashed down to reality. When Kyouya stepped back, Renge looked up and paled. Those eyes, those dark cold eyes stared back down at her under frameless glasses. She felt her tongue turn to lead under his ice stare. The last time she saw that look was during dinner at her house, when she first angered him. Renge could not continue to look at him; she felt her nerves weaken and she broke their gaze.

The chauffeur stepped out and opened the door to the back seat. "Renge is not feeling well," Kyouya informed the driver. "Please drive her home. After that, you are done for the night. I will return home with my father."

"Yes, Bocchama," the man bowed.

"Good night Renge."

Renge quickly looked up but only saw Kyouya's back, heading farther and farther away from her, re-entering the building. With heavy eyes, Renge made no sound as she entered the car.

--

It was a nightmare. Kyouya was tossed a curve ball that night; Renge was _this_ close to ruining it for him.

He pulled out his physiology textbook. His midterm was the next day, so he took the time to open it, lazily thumbing through the pages and occasionally reading portions that were not quite clear. He would have started studying earlier, but carpenters were in his room all morning, uninstalling the high-powered motor and elevating platform.

It was all meddlesome._She _was meddlesome.

Luckily, when Kyouya returned to the party, Adrian was still willing to negotiate. They even agreed to meet again next month, saving Kyouya from a potentially bad situation. But even when Kyouya performed a background check on the man, he refused to let one summer fling ruin this opportunity. So long as it did not soil the company reputation, Kyouya did not see any harm to it.

And he had not seen her since that night, or heard from her. He could only recall one other time in which he felt so much anger. Usually, her nagging and pleading could have easily been remedied but her constant doting for the past weeks build up his annoyance. Maybe he was too harsh on her, throwing her out in such a manner? Still… she possibly risked his business transaction. That he had no patience for. Had they been in a private place, he may have lost his temper and raised his voice at her. However, they were not, surrounded by guests and paparazzi alike; he could not afford to lose his cool. Rather than telling her of her wrong doing, he pulled her close and whispered it. The last thing he needed were reporters writing on how the Ootori-Houshakuji match had now hit the rocks… He could easily keep up appearances.

But really, if she were not so free spirited, she would not have opened her mouth. A payment he had to endure for choosing a girl with prestige and money… and the stubbornness of a mule.

Kyouya closed his book and left it on the couch. He headed to the bedroom and deposited himself on his bed. He had not received a phone call or text message for a while now. No visits, no fluffy dog. Not that he had attempted to connect with her… Perhaps she was avoiding him. Either way, his newfound peace and silence was… strange to him.

--

Renge kept her head buried in her pillow. She had only left her house to go to school. Other than that, she always stayed home, locked herself up and ate chocolates like crazy.

Goodness, she was a horrible, horrible girl.

The next day after the fundraiser, Renge was pissed beyond all belief. Kyouya did not listen to a word of what Renge had said about the American. She felt disgraced and humiliated. And for a while, anger continued to motivate her. She held her head high and told herself she did not have to tolerate any of that nonsense, that disrespect.

Then days passed and she realized how much she missed him. She missed feeling his presence, even if he was just a phone call away. She tried to concentrate on her midterms as much as possible. She opened her books many times over, but in the back of her thoughts, she always wondered if he was well.

And then she managed to look at the bigger picture: all her efforts for his attention may have been in vain. After all these months together, he did not feel the same as she did. That was why her pillow was soaked with tears. She could not precisely pinpoint when she started liking him… but she did like him. She wanted to be with him. She wanted him happy.

But he was not in love with her.

Renge sobbed again. When did his opinions and thoughts become so important to her?

Near the end of midterms, Renge made a realization: just like character personalities, feelings could not be forced, no matter how hard she tried. So, she could not force Kyouya to love her or even like her. But she wanted to be beside him. Did she have the strength to stay in an engagement of unrequited love?

"He hasn't even called," she muttered, looking up to her phone. Nearly two weeks had passed and she had not heard from him; no call, no text or anything. Were they even still engaged?

She felt a mass of soft fur rub up against the side of her stomach. Renge looked down and saw Sophie rubbing her face against her, while making soft noises, trying to comfort her mistress. "I should apologize," Renge said, stroking the puppy behind the ears.

It barked.

Hopefully, he would take her back. And she would do things right… she would try to not force love from him. Because… that was what love was about, right? It was supposed to come naturally. Maybe it will come naturally for him?

And as long as she was beside him, Renge could be happy. She was positive of that.


	7. Chapter 7

Perhaps Love

Part 7

Author's Note: I actually wanted to bring something up that StoryWeaver1 said: "It just seemed, to me, that she regretted chewing out that jerk that hurt her friend because it made Kyouya upset". I'm pretty sure other people thought this as well; even I did, if you just look at the story of what has been released so far. I tried to preserve Renge as much as I could in this story, and I admit that it's kind of hard to see, with the chapters separated as they are. But how about this: this isn't the last time we'll see Adrian Scripp. Website is updated, of course. The link is on my profile, so please go on and have a look around!

* * *

Kyouya felt his head pounding in response to the entire ruckus. He sat quietly as they were all gathered in Hikaru's and Kaoru's studio. They sat, waiting patiently as their identical maids served the guests tea and cakes. Mori, Hunny, Tamaki and Haruhi sat at the round table alongside Kyouya. The twins moved back and forth between their workspace and table, alternating between drinks and fabrics.

"So are you and Renge-chan still getting married?" Hunny asked before putting a piece of cake in his mouth.

"A sad, sad situation," Tamaki muttered, thoughtfully cradling his chin in his hand.

Kyouya and Haruhi exchanged looks. They knew that look; the way Tamaki's eyes moved to the side before closing meant one thing: he was planning something.

"You have to still be engaged," Hikaru said, unraveling a bolt of satin powder pink fabric.

"Yeah. We already started Renge-kun's dress," Kaoru said, pinning eggshell colored tulle to the dressform in front of him.

"How about we design a suit for you as well?" Hikaru pulled out a measuring tape. "It'll be our present to you, just like for Renge-kun."

Kyouya said nothing, only lifting an eyebrow at them.

"But if you don't marry Renge-chan, won't that cause problems?" Haruhi asked. "Between your fathers, that is."

"True," Kyouya answered as he dissolved a sugar cube in his teacup. "It may cause problems, but I'll remedy the situation if needed."

Haruhi watched him with careful eyes.

"If this match is broken, it may be for the best," Kyouya said and took a sip of his tea.

A sudden sound of Tamaki's hand to the table echoed in the room. "I see…" he brushed his bangs aside. "After all these weeks of loneliness, you try to be indifferent. However, you try to not show your pain, masking it from everyone around you! But whether you will admit to it or not, you two are perfect for one another!"

"Uh, Tono…" came two identical voices.

"Her fiery personality compliments your cool demeanor!"

"Ooh! Tama-chan's on fire!"

"And two beautiful people belong together! Right, Haruhi?"

"Don't bring me into this."

"Kyouya, mon frere, I will pull you from your hidden depths of despair!" Within seconds, Tamaki pulled out a large white board. The existing header "Formation A – Keep Haruhi's Gender A Secret" was crossed out in red and replaced with "Rekindle Kyouya's Passionate Romance".

"Where did he get that board from?" Haruhi asked out loud, not moving from her seat at the table.

Kyouya only shrugged. For a moment, he recalled all the unnecessary attention the club showed on their female member back in high school. And for a while, he sympathized.

Takashi, Hunny, and the twins were assembled in a straight line, all facing the detailed board. "Now!" Tamaki began. "We must help our fallen friend woo his lady love once more! Hikaru! Kaoru! You will make that dress and his matching suit! And a matching dress for their cute Pomeranian!"

"Roger!" they both saluted him, with Hikaru's shoulders covered in pink cloth and Kaoru's covered in tulle.

"Mori-senpai!" Tamaki pointed to the kanji "hana" (flower) on the board. "Find three hundred long stem red roses!"

The very tall man nodded.  
"What about me?" the short blond jumped up and down with enthusiasm.

"Hunny-senpai, please find the finest box of chocolates money can buy!"

"Gotcha!"

Haruhi finished the last of her cake piece. "Aren't you going to stop them, Kyouya-senpai?"

Kyouya shook his head and reached for the chocolate strawberry cake. He inserted his fork into the ganache but paused, recalling a memory a few weeks old.

Kyouya looked up from his coffee and watched Renge pick off her strawberry from the top of her chocolate cake, and left it aside on her plate. "You don't like strawberries," he pondered.

Renge looked up at him from her task. "Oh, not with chocolate." She took a forkful of the mousse and ate it. "With the chocolate being so rich, it dulls out the sweetness of the strawberry. You can't even taste the fruit." She paused for a moment, and then leaned forward. "Do you think that's silly?"

"Everyone has his or her own taste," he answered, leaving it at that.

Kyouya used his fork to cut a bit of the strawberry and also scooped an equal portion of cake. He took a bite and let it coat over the top of his tongue for some time before taking a drink and concentrating on the cake.

"You're not going to eat the strawberry?" Haruhi asked when she noticed he did not touch it again.

"I'll eat it later," he answered.

--

He had been doing that for a while now, Kyouya noticed. What was common to him then, he began to associate things with her. In between classes the other day, he saw someone holding a young girl in his arms as he walked to the children's center. The girl had a large purple ribbon in her hair. While searching through his library, Kyouya stumbled upon an Italian cookbook and briefly paused, remembering how that type of cuisine was not her strong point.

It was nerve wrecking for a while, almost disturbing to him. And it was not because he missed her or anything. No way in hell. Perhaps he had been spending so much time with her that she had begun to enter his thoughts at any given time. Maybe that was why every time he saw a ribbon, a strawberry, coffee, or French food, he would think of her. That was a perfectly reasonable explanation.

He had come home one day after a long lab session, tired, wanting a hot meal. As soon as he stepped through the threshold, he heard the soft playing of the grand piano. Quickly, he moved through the halls, heading towards the sitting area. "What's Tamaki doing here?" he muttered.

However, when he entered the room, it was not his friend sitting at the piano. A petite woman sat quietly as she daintily touched the keys, causing the piano to sing a lullaby. Both his brothers and his sister were seated on the furniture with their eyes closed, allowing themselves to drift away with the melody's spell. Kyouya should have know; Tamaki was a fan of Mozart, and he was positive this was not a work of his.

He could not remember the name of the piece; he had heard it many times before, but never like this. Nocturnes were supposed to sound like soft lullabies, he was told, but the way she played sounded like soft tears.

Renge ended the piece and looked up to her audience, who rewarded her with applause. She stood, said her thanks and then noticed a figure in the doorframe. Her eyebrows lifted for a moment, surprised at his presence, and then she smiled. "Welcome hone," she greeted.

"Aa," was all he said, taking a step forward.

Fuyumi and her brothers exchanged knowing looks to one another. "Shall we go?" she suggested to her brothers. "Renge-chan, will you be staying for dinner?" she asked before they turned and left.

Renge shook her head. "My father is flying back into town. But thank you, anyway."

"Alright. We should really be heading off. See you." Fuyumi waved to Renge and then flashed a smile to Kyouya. Both brothers followed her out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.

Renge remained standing behind the piano while Kyouya was stationary at his spot. He was not sure how to start the conversation with her. However, seeing her there, with her eyes on him, he felt intensely compelled to say something… anything… "What piece was that?"

"Nocturne Opus 9 No. 1 in B Flat Minor," she answered. "Chopin."

"I didn't know you played," he took another step towards her.

"I learned back in France. My home here doesn't have a piano though, so I'm somewhat out of practice." She sighed and her words became to come out. "I was actually taught by a student of Tamaki-san's teacher. Small world, isn't it?"

He did not say anything and he cast his eyes to the floor as he walked towards her, until he stood at the piano's side. He stared down at the piano's insides, towards the exposed strings and hammers.

"Kyouya."

He looked up at her, noticing the absence of the usual honorific.

"If I promise to do things right, can we continue?"

Kyouya had to think for a moment. In the end, it was not all her fault, was it? Somewhere between the announcement and the fundraiser, she had become completely attached to him. It could have been because of his careless displays of affection or constant outings… either way, something must have caused her to change so drastically within these past few months. Still, Kyouya knew he had to be careful. He knew dealing with her was risky. If he upset her, it may also affect whatever business transactions they were both involved with… But she sounded sincere. So, as long as Renge was willing play by his rules, he would keep her content. He nodded.

She smiled and sat back down.

"Spicy food," he said quietly out of the blue.

"Excuse me?" Renge asked, looking back to him.

"You asked me a while back if I had any favorites," Kyouya turned slightly away from her, crossing his arms. "I'd have to say that I prefer spicy foods."

She continued to look out at him, her eyes slightly widening with amazement. "Alright," she smiled wider. "I'll keep that in mind." She sat with her fingers over the keys. "Any request from the audience?"

Kyouya shook his head. "Whatever you choose."

Renge began to play again. Kyouya could not help but notice the piece she played then was much lighter and upbeat compared to the last one. Still, he stood quietly, watched and listened.

--

Renge arrived him to find her father waiting, sitting at a small table with afternoon tea set out. "Otou-sama!" she smiled. "You're here already?"

"Of course, and with our tradition," he said, arms out to the set table. A tiered tray of scones, sandwiches and cakes were assembled, along with a teapot of matching cups.

"So," Renge sat opposite her father as the maid proceeded to pour the tea, "how was Paris?"

"Beautiful, of course," he answered her and reached over to one of the cucumber sandwiches. "Do you remember your friend Celine, from finishing school? Her father says she's getting married."

"Really? To who?"

"Robert Wellington."

"…The British politician?" Renge blinked. She suddenly had the image of her tall, ebony haired, wiry friend on the arm of a large, stout man resembling Winston Churchill.

"No, no, that's Roger. Robert is his son. He's the same age as you ladies."

Oh… well that seemed much better.

"Speaking of marriage…" Houshakuji asked, "How are things between you two?"

Renge swallowed the liquid in her mouth. "You two?"

"You and Kyouya-san. I have to say though that I was concerned when I left last week. It seemed as if you and he were talking less."

Renge smiled gently, as if recalling a silly idea. "Well, to tell the truth, Otou-sama, we had an argument. But-!" she interrupted when her father gave her an astounded look. "We made up."

"Oh," he sighed in relief. "Well, that's good." He refilled his cup as he explained," You know, it's alright for a couple to fight, so long as you figure out the problems together. I remember how happy I was after reconciling with your mother because usually, it meant I understood her more."

Renge's smile dropped slightly. She could see glimpses of a woman that shared Renge's eyes… the memories were old and faded…

"It's as if… with every fight and reconciliation, you mature together."

"Yeah," Renge nodded. "I think so too." She finished the last bit of her tea. "You know, Otou-sama, I really like him. I mean, really, truly."

Houshakuji looked into his daughter's eyes and saw it as clear as day. It was the same look he saw at his own wedding, one the face of his wife over 20 years ago. He knew she had no doubt. "I see… well, he seems to like you as well. I'm glad that you two can be happy together."

Renge kept smiling, determined for her face to not falter.

--

"Okaa-san!" cried the man on the phone. "Otou-san is so happy, he could just burst!"

Kyouya had to keep his phone away at arms length to prevent his ears from being blown out. It never failed to amaze him how his friend held on to their now inappropriate nicknames. "And why is that?"

"Because Haruhi agreed to go to my 20th birthday party and a private dinner afterwards! It's finally coming together! The hero and heroine of this perfect romantic comedy are finally joining together in love's bliss!" Tamaki explained, with tears of joy flooding through the phone. "No birthday present could be greater than spending time with her."

"Are you going to finally tell her the truth of your feelings?"

"Of course! That's the plan. Hopefully. Probably. Maybe." Slowly, Tamaki lost his nerve until more tears, this time of anguish, began. "What if she refuses me?!"

For a while, Kyouya mused, wondering if he should inform his friend that he was indeed safe. But honestly, where was the fun in just telling him? "Considering how long you've been waiting, don't you think it's worth putting your heart out?"

"True, true. Speaking of putting your heart out," Tamaki changed subjects, "how about with Renge-kun?"

What did Renge have to do with Kyouya's heart? "Actually, she and I made up."

"You… what?"

"She came by, we had a quick discussion and now we're still engaged."

"But-but-but--!" Tamaki stammered.

"But what?" Just then, Kyouya's cell phone rang, the caller ID revealing his fiancee's name. "Hold, Tamaki," he placed the phone down and answered the other. "Hello?"

"Neh, Kyouya, would you happen to know who sent me three hundred red roses and a tower of chocolate truffles?" asked Renge. "It says it's from you but the card… it doesn't seem to match."

Kyouya blinked. Did Tamaki really…? "What does the card say?"

" 'Each flower reminds me of your beauty. Each chocolate piece reminds me of your sweetness. I hope, Princess, that you can overlook my crude disregard to your feelings and we can start again. Your wish is my command. Your Prince, Kyouya'." Afterwards, she began to giggle. "It sounds more like something Tamaki-san would say."

… He did! Kyouya could not believe it. "I'll call you back," Kyouya told her and immediately hung up. Forget being nice to Tamaki! It was time to give him some hell. "Sorry about that, Tamaki."

"So, I take it, Renge-kun received your gifts?"

His? Kyouya raised a brow. "Yes, but back to more important matters. If you're going to tell Haruhi that you love her, don't you think you should also get Ranka-san's approval first?" He smirked when Tamaki began to explode in a fit of hysterics.


	8. Chapter 8

Perhaps Love

Part 8

Author's Note: I'm slowing down the drama just a little bit. But to make up for the less drama stuff, I've also added drawings to the website! Check the inspiration section of the website.

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Common iliac vein. Femoral vein. Popliteral vein. Kyouya looked at his book for the 20th time before sliding his book aside. Finals loomed over his head with practicals in physiology and anatomy the next day, and the written tests after that, along with his other classes… Kyouya felt at his wits end. He was sick of looking at textbooks. But still, he knew he had to study. The last exam, he only scored a 98… he missed one question, which would not do at all.

Kyouya frowned. He remembered his sister mentioning how he and Renge were not in the press anymore. Not as if it was a top priority to be seen with her, but it had been months… He, unlike his brothers, had kept his engagement relatively public and as a result, moved him into the spotlight. His brothers were fairly private, and continued to stay out of the limelight until they stepped into the hospitals. As the third son, he mused, he needed a head start.

And if he may say, Renge was quite a beauty compared to his sisters-in-law.

He supposed another Ootori-Houshakuji sighting had been somewhat overdue. He reached for his phone and dialed her number. Only dinner out at a restaurant. Besides, she must be free since her finals ended a week earlier.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Good evening," Kyouya greeted.

"Hi. Taking a break from studying?"

"Hardly," Kyouya scoffed, glancing away from his books. "Are you free for dinner tonight?"

Renge was silent for a moment before answering. "I'm sorry. Perhaps another time."

"Alright then." He paused for a breath before saying, "Goodnight." Kyouya hung up his phone and tossed it aside on the couch.

It took him a few beats to realize something. Wait… did she just refuse him? Well, that did not seem right at all. And since when did she ever deny the opportunity to go out with him? She always jumped at the chance. And correct him if he was wrong, although he knew he was not, but dates were her idea in the first place!

Now that he thought about it, her text messages were getting far and few in between. Her usual random pictures of herself, flowers, or food became basic, short and encouraging sentences, like "Study hard!", "Good morning. It's supposed to rain so bring an umbrella" and such. He did not mind nor did he really pay much attention to the decrease of texts. But she refused his invitation? That was a first.

Kyouya had to pause for a moment. Wait. Why was he even dwelling on it in the first place? He shook his head and reached for his textbook. He had nothing else to do… might as well resume studying.

--

Renge smiled when she received a call from Kyouya, telling her of a luncheon his father's hospital was hosting. She quickly got dressed, threw on a thick, empire-waist dress, tied a ribbon in her semi-ponytail and walked out the door to her car. Her chauffeur dropped her off in front of a building, with tall black glass walls and dark wooden doors towering in front of her.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the restaurant, she noticed a few cameramen were outside calling her name, asking her to look in their direction. A part of her wondered why they bothered to follow her. Back in Ouran when she was still in her mid-teens, she could walk around without a care in the world. Now, she was an adult, at least to French society, and nearly an adult to Japanese standards… and the heir to the Houshakuji fortune, who happened to be a female… and who was engaged into one of the most powerful families in Japan… at least she was not an entertainment celebrity, otherwise photographers would not let her be. She stepped out of the car and immediately the shutterbugs erupted. Renge made her way past them, bee-lining towards the door until someone shouted, "How come you're not with your fiancé?" She froze right where the doormen were, who were waiting for her to step through the open door.

Renge turned on her heels, facing the small group of photographers.

"You usually are alongside him for these events. How come you arrived later, Houshakuji-san?"

What were they trying to do? Find a sad, trouble in paradise story? Renge smiled, shaking her head. "It took longer than expected to get ready. After all, a girl has to look her best!"

A few laughs were heard, followed by another photographer's question. "Are you still planning an engagement party and wedding?"

"Of course! It's a slow process but we want it perfect," she answered.

"When are they?"

"All in due time," she said, casually waving her hand. "Now if you excuse me. Please have a nice day." The photographers politely thanked her and as more people arrived, she stepped through the doors the doormen held open. She stepped through the main foyer and into the dining hall. The restaurant was simply decorated, with bright chandeliers overhead, and tables covered with lemon and white linens, with small red flower centerpieces. Dark leather armless chairs surrounded the round tables. The restaurant was not filled to the brim, about fifty people she counted, all scattered equally around the room. She glanced around the room, trying to find his familiar face in the sea of suits.

"You handled the press quite nicely," came a voice behind her.

Renge turned around and saw Kyouya dressed in a simple tie and suit. How could he look so impeccable every moment he breathed? "You were watching me?"

He just smiled in response.

The thought alone made Renge share that expression. "I didn't think I'd find you so quickly."

"Finding you would be easy. Your white dress is easy to spot among the other colors," he admitted, noting the other women in blues, lavenders and greens.

She smiled wider. "White is fitting for me. I'm going to be a bride soon."

He responded with his own smile. "All in due time."

Renge turned away momentarily, peering around the room of faces. "So… do you have any rounds to do? Any people I need to meet?"

"Not today. I think you met everyone attending," he told her. He did his habitual public movements: he placed a gentle hand to her back, directing her to move. She obliged and he led them to a round table near the center of the room. He pulled out her seat, assisting her to sit down and he settled beside her. They shared a table with his father and two brothers along with Kurosaki, another board member of the main hospital.

Renge sat quietly and ate, speaking only when spoken to, but kept herself engaged in the conversation while the men around her spoke. They spoke of the recent mergers of the Goudo and Asou hospitals under the Ootori division and the newly elected board members. To her utter delight, she noticed Kyouya was invited more into the conversation, receiving praise in his deals with the Asous. He kept his smile and she noticed his eyes were lit up as he spoke. He positively loved the talk of business, Renge soon realized… He was strange but regardless, she found it endearing.

Lunch ended soon and Yoshio was prompted to make a speech, formally introducing two new committee members to the staff. Everyone clapped appropriately and a photographer showed up, snapping pictures of Yoshio shaking hands with the new members.

Renge drank the last of her coffee. She placed the cup down on its saucer and began to scan her eyes around the room. Her line of vision froze on a familiar face almost two tables over. "Scripp…" She noticed him constantly glancing at Kyouya, peering down to his food, towards Yoshio and then back at Kyouya.

Kyouya looked to her and then the direction her eyes were at. "Ah, yes, I invited him. I hope that serves as no problem."

Renge's eyes turned to him, immediately seeing Kyouya's raised eyebrow. She registered his tone and his expression… was he challenging her? Testing to see her reaction? Would she throw a fit? Would she shriek?

Making her final decision, Renge stood to her feet and approached Scripp, standing behind an empty chair beside him. "Excuse me. May I?"

Adrian looked up from his tablemates and stared for a few moments. He swallowed the air in his throat and stood, pulling out the chair for her to sit in.

She briefly smiled out to the people around him, knowing their faces but not their name. "Excuse me," she told them all, signaling that she wanted to speak with him. "Let's get one thing straight," she told him in French. He watched her intensely from the change of languages. "I don't like you," she admitted. "Men who play with women's hearts should suffer a fate under a blunt guillotine," Renge pulled her lips into a charming smile. An unsuspecting spectator across the room would have assumed they were having a warm friendly conversation. "However, you seem to really want to do business with my fiancé. And visa versa."

"To be honest, mademoiselle," Adrian responded back in his slow French, "the Ootoris is my family's gateway to Asia."

"So, you need this to go through."

"Pretty much."

Renge was proud of herself. She had managed to sit and not physically attack the man. Just the sight of him made her want to hit him with something large and pointy. "Well, no matter what, I can't forgive you for what you did. Even if Angelique is now a stronger woman, I can't forget it… but I'll let it slide, because she has moved on. But if you wrong my fiancé as well, I won't let you get away with it." She smiled wider and her eyes softened, as if she was watching two puppies at play. "You can count on that," and she excused herself from the table.

Her eyes quickly scanned the room and saw Kuragano Momoka, her old classmate from Ouran. Leaving Adrian watching her back, she greeted Momoka with a cheery "Hi!" and immediately dove into a conversation of catch-up. While they talked, Renge kept Adrian in her peripheral, noting when he left his table to approach Kyouya, handshake ready.

"But I was surprised when you two announced your engagement!" Momoka admitted. "Well, I guess because back in school, you had an interest in Haruhi-kun."

"So did you!" Renge squealed. "Still, she did make a beautiful boy. And so sweet too!"

"Yes, but who would have thought you would shift from the natural type to the cool type."

They continued to reminisce, recalling their times at the Host Club, recollecting all the fun memories. The hours ticked by and soon the luncheon was over.

"I'll send you an invitation!" Renge promised as Momoka stood from her table, ready to leave.

"I look forward to it. Bye!" Momoka walked off to the front of the building, exiting to the outside.

Renge skimmed her eyes over the room, noting that there was not only half the people present compared to when she first arrived. She stood from her chair and noticed Kyouya walking up to her with two glasses of water, one in each hand. She sat back down and he took a seat beside her, placing a glass before her. "Thank you" and she took a sip.

He silently took a drink and kept his hand to his glass as he placed it down on the table. "You let him be."

She looked up to meet his eyes. "In the end, it was best. To be quite honest, I still don't like him," she frowned, "but you wanted to do business with him. I don't want to hold you back," and her eyes returned to her glass and resumed drinking.

"You don't?"

Renge shook her head. "I just want you to be happy."

Kyouya raised his glass to his lips. "Interesting," he muttered. He drank for a while, hiding his lips with the glass. It almost looked like he was smirking, Renge thought; she was not too sure. Kyouya put the glass down again. "Tomorrow is Tamaki's birthday. Shall I pick you up at five in the evening?"

"What color are you wearing?"

"Most likely a black suit with blue."

"Then I'll wear blue, too," she decided outloud.

They remained quiet after that, and she watched as people slowly left the room. However, she could feel his eyes on her, watching her under lowered lids. The thought brought a smile to her face.

--

Kyouya had seen his fair share of love-struck men but this took the cake.

"When the man has the love of a woman, nothing else in the world matters! Nothing else compares!" Tamaki said, with roses and moonbeams erupting out of nowhere in the middle of Tamaki's lounge.

Kyouya sat quietly with his afternoon tea set in front of him. He remained quiet, letting his friend recall and relive the night before on his private date with Haruhi.

"And I found the courage to take her hand… and she didn't pull away!" Tamaki sighed dreamily. "Cupid was truly kind!"

Frankly, Kyouya was more interested in how Tamaki's conversation with Ranka unfolded. He knew years ago that Ranka was aware of Tamaki's feelings. In fact, it took months and many conversations between Kyouya and Ranka for Ranka to recognize how genuine Tamaki had evolved. And secretly, with only Kyouya's knowledge, the Fujioka patriarch did accept the Suou heir… but no way would he let him know directly.

"Speaking of Cupid," Tamaki smiled, sitting back down on the couch near Kyouya, "it seems you and Renge-kun are doing well."

"Meaning?"

"You two seem much closer than before. Do I see a change in the air between you two?"

"An illusion, I assure you," Kyouya informed the tall blond. "She seems more… tolerable. Perhaps that is why she and I seem 'closer', as you say."

"Kyouya, everyone of us could see it. You're not forcing yourself to be affectionate. You don't fake interest in her, either." Tamaki pointed out. "Your interactions seem, dare I say, natural?"

"It's because she likes me."

Tamaki froze. "She said so?"

Kyouya took a small sip of his tea. "Not in so many words," he pursed his lips together at the taste and added a sugar cube. "But I have a feeling she has a strong crush on me," and he quietly began to recall all the things she used to do, from making him food to showing up at his classes.

"You think that's all?" Tamaki asked, refilling his cup.

"Aa," Kyouya drank his sweetened tea. "But because of that, I can do what I want with little to no problems," and he recalled her telling him how she wanted him to be happy. A smirk momentarily sparked on his face. "She's making things far easier."

Tamaki reached for the cream, realizing that there were even things his friend sometimes missed.


	9. Chapter 9

Perhaps Love

Part 9

Author's Note: Aah, this is taking quite long… I'm also working on art that goes with this story. But sadly, my scanner is broken, so fanart won't be updated as often as I'd like to. Sorry. There is fanart and reference pictures still on the website. Please stop by.

By the way, this chapter is adorable... I think. Let the romance continue!!

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Kyouya returned home in the early evening to an empty house. He knew his father would be out all night, pulling a late shift at the hospital. So it confused him as to why he heard sounds coming from deep in the house as soon as he entered. The rest of the butlers had their day off. What was going on? Kyouya traced the sounds to the kitchen and found a familiar female making such a clatter. She set up stacks of pots and pans on the stove. "Good evening," he greeted.

Renge looked up from her task. She did not pause; she greeted him her hello as she finished through the drawers of utensils. "Your father let me in just before he left for work," she answered his silent question.

"If you're hungry, we could just go out," Kyouya suggested as he stepped further onto the tiled floor.

"I know, but I want to cook. It's what good wives do," she smiled. "Besides, think of it as an apology for when I had to refuse. Remember? The night before your anatomy final?"

Ah, so he was right. After a few days, he guessed exactly why she refused him, and her statement affirmed his suspicions. "Alright," Kyouya pulled the stool out from underneath the center island counter.

A high pitch bark sounded. Kyouya turned to his left and peered down, watching a brown puff of fur lick and cuddle against his feet. "She hasn't grown at all," he noted out loud.

Renge giggled. "Sophie isn't going to get that big."

"Hm…" Kyouya leaned farther down and reached for the dog. He picked her up with one hand. "She's heavy for her size. It must be all the French food," he muttered while placing Sophie in his lap as he sat. Sophie did not respond to the weight comment and just snuggled into the man's lap.

"She's fed Japanese food!" Renge laughed while putting out a kitchen knife. "Where are your cutting boards?"

"I don't know," he muttered honestly. Kyouya watched his fiancée continue to fish through the drawers, trying to find the rest of the equipment. "What are you making anyway?"

"You'll see," she smiled, finally obtaining a large wooden cutting board. She placed it on the counter near Kyouya and turned to the refrigerator. "I hope you have some meat," she muttered as she opened its door.

An amusing thought popped in Kyouya's head. "Here," he told her and placed Sophie on the counter. Sophie said nothing and wagged her tail.

Although Renge saw the humor in it, she shrieked in protest. "Oh no!" and Renge managed to get her hands on a few veal chops.

"Hm… you're lucky, Sophie," Kyouya picked up the dog and replaced her on his lap. The dog hoisted itself on its hind legs, placed her front paws on the counter to watch her mistress prepare the food. Kyouya also watched as Renge merrily cut vegetables and laid them out in a shallow pan. She pulled out the veal chops and rubbed them down with oils and seasonings, and then seared them in a pan under high heat. Afterwards, when the meat was cooked to medium rare, she pulled out the veal with a pair of tongs, placed them in the bed of vegetables and slid the pan in the oven under low heat, to finish cooking the food to medium.

The smells were making Kyouya's mouth water. It had been a few hours since he had tea at Tamaki's so he was not too surprised that he was starting to feel the onslaught of hunger. Renge turned off the heat under the pan. "Do you have any red wine?" she asked.

"Of course," Kyouya picked Sophie, scooping her in one arm and stood from his chair. He entered an adjacent room to the kitchen, a cool wine room filled with bottles of different colors. He picked out a Petrus Vintage and quickly closed the door.

When he re-emerged from the room, he found the pantry door open and Renge inside, staring up at the top shelf. "Kyouya, can you get something for me?"

Kyouya placed Sophie down near the stool he previously occupied. "Sit," Kyouya ordered, and the dog dropped her bottom to the floor. "Stay." He put the bottle down on the counter and went over to aide his fiancée. "What do you need?"

"The flour," she answered, pointing to a large plastic container at the top shelf.

Kyouya looked up, realizing that it was a little far, even for his own grasp. He stood on his tiptoes and reached for the smooth container; it slipped past his fingers. "Hm…" he reached again, stretching his muscles farther, grazing the cylindrical container with his fingers, and nudging it towards the edge. Kyouya soon realized his mistake as the flour container sailed over the edge of the shelf. Renge shrieked in alarm and stepped closer to him, thinking that maybe she could catch it before it hit the floor. Her perception was miscalculated. Before they knew it, the container hit his head, popping open and spilling out its contents onto the unsuspecting couple.

And for a while, no one spoke. The silence was then interrupted by Renge's uncontrollable giggles.

"You find amusement in this?" Kyouya raised an eyebrow as he pulled off his glasses that were dusted in white flour.

"Your head is white!" she exclaimed. "Like an old man!"

He deposited a firm blow to his glasses, trying to clear off the flour. "Speak for yourself," and he reached over to her hair, shaking out flour from her strands. She looked up at him with marveling bright wide eyes, watching him as he gently brushed her face and hair from whatever flour would come off. He soon realized what he was doing and slowly pulled away so that he would not cause alarm, and repositioned his glasses over his eyes. "Let's get freshened up," he suggested as he proceeded to dust himself off of any of the white substance.

Renge was doing the same. "I don't have any extra clothes here, though," Renge looked completely mortified due to her situation.

Kyouya walked out of the pantry and closed the door behind her. "I'm sure Fuyumi-nee-san still has some clothes around her," he answered. "Come on," he said to her and together, they treaded deeper in the house, trying their best not to throw dust all around the floor.

He led her to the nearest bathroom. "Go ahead and get washed up," he instructed her while handing her a nearby towel. "Leave your clothes in the bathroom. I'll try to find you something to wear."

"Alright, thanks." Renge locked the door after he left and proceeded to undress. It took her at least three showers to finally get her hair clean. Mixing water with the flour in her hair created a gooey substance that took over half an hour to shampoo out. When she was finished in the bathroom, she noticed a baby blue dress laid out on the chair in the vanity area. Renge quickly put it on and found her way back to the kitchen. Her feet froze in the doorway by what she saw.

Kyouya, his hair unruly and wet, was wearing a white A-line sleeveless shirt and dark gray pants. He was in such an unkempt state; it was the first time she had ever seen him in such a manner. She was used to him in clean line suits and designer clothes. It only occurred to Renge at that moment that perhaps this was how Kyouya was in his most comfortable state. Sophie was standing on the counter top in front of him where he stood. He leaned forward towards the puppy's face so he was eye-level with her. "I really should talk to Renge about what you eat," he muttered to the ignorant dog. "You're far too heavy for your size." Sophie only barked and wagged its tail happily. "Fat and content, I see," he smiled at the canine.

Renge felt her heart skip a beat.

Kyouya looked up from the dog, noticing her standing in the doorway. He stared at her and it was then that she noticed that he was not wearing his glasses. How could he make disheveled so attractive? He looked her up and down rather quickly, noting the dress was a little too long for her. "Your clothes are in the bathroom?"

She nodded.

"I'll have it cleaned tomorrow."

"No, I can--."

Her words were interrupted by a loud stomach grumble. At first, she thought it may have been hers, but even Sophie looked alarmed, staring at her master in shock. Kyouya turned away, discontinuing eye contact with Renge. "So, how long until dinner?"

Renge bit her lip down in amusement. "I need to make the sauce," and she picked up the bottle of wine as she found her way back to the stove. "It'll be a little thin because we have no flour. I hope you don't mind." She popped open the previously opened bottle and set it near the stove in arm's reach. Renge ignited the burner under the pan that was used for the veal and poured in a small amount of red wine. As she whisked the pan, she felt warmth touching her back. She glanced over her shoulders and found Kyouya peering over her, watching what she was doing.

"Want to help?" she asked, offering him the whisk, all while trying to ignore the sensations in her heart caused by his close proximity.

"I don't cook," he said point blank with one eyebrow higher than the other.

"It's easy," she encouraged.

"No."

Renge resumed to creating the sauce as she felt Sophie curling and circling against their feet. She remained quiet, relishing in the feeling of her beating heart and Kyouya's warmth so close by.

--

Renge sat with the long list in front of her. "All these people?"

"I think so," Kyouya answered. "Some of them are our fathers' associates."

"I only expected a hundred or so, not two-hundred," Renge looked at the final count of the guest list. She, Kyouya and Fuyumi were seated at a table outside in the lobby of the Imperial Hotel. Behind them, the moving of tables and chairs sounded in the banquet hall.

"Everyone confirmed and RSVPed," Fuyumi answered. She turned to the woman sitting beside her. "I hope everything is ready, Yamada-san."

"Yes, indeed," the event coordinator nodded. "We have everything set up for tomorrow's big event. I just received a call from the florist and they are on their way to set up."

Renge intently listened to Yamada and Fuyumi continued to talk of the engagement party tomorrow. Her toes began to curl in excitement.

Her fiancé, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic. He opened up his phone and began texting a reminder in his memo section. He seemed to be in a tune with his surroundings, to say the least; Kyouya noticed her watching him. "Just reminding myself to hire a wedding planner."

"Oh," Renge nodded her head. "Good idea."

"So, we're done here?" Fuyumi asked, putting Renge's attention back to the subject at hand.

"Thank you very much," Renge bowed her head.

"Oh no, thank you for choosing our hotel," Yamada inclined her head lower. "Well, I best be going," she stood and bowed, and then left for the banquet hall.

"I trust she'll do very well," Fuyumi told Renge as Yamada left. "My friend had her party here and it was spectacular."

Renge smiled. "Thank you, Fuyumi-san."

Fuyumi's eyes widened at the title. "Renge-chan, we're family! You can call me 'Nee-san'."

Renge could not help but smile at the invitation. Being a single child, she never had to use the honorifics. "Fuyumi-nee-san," she smiled.

"So, we're finished?" came Kyouya's voice.

Renge turned to him. "Unless you want to walk around?"

He shook his head.

Renge's attention returned to Fuyumi once she started giggling. "Perhaps you should go home. Kyouya seemed bored," and pointed to Kyouya's lap. Renge's eyes followed the direction and noticed the once spare copy of the guest list was being folded in his hands. "Ever since Kyouya was a child, he would pass the time with making origami."

Renge's eyes continued to watch him crease and create points and shapes out of the white paper. She had a sudden visual of a young pre-schooler Kyouya diligently folding up paper into paper cranes, similar to the one he presently held. "I never learned origami," Renge admitted, marveling at his quick craftsmanship. "What else can you make?"

"Flowers, paper balls," Kyouya said while folding down the points of the wings, "frogs, stars… a lot…" Satisfied with his work, he held it in her direction. "Here."

Renge blinked. "Me? You're giving it to me?"

"I have no use for it. But I could just throw it--."

"I'll keep it!" she exclaimed and pulled it away from him, careful not to damage it. "I mean… thank you."

"You're welcome."

Fuyumi stood from where she sat. "Let's go, shall we?" The couple left along with the older woman out the revolving door to the front entrance. Fuyumi's BMW and Kyouya's Rolls Royce was already waiting outside. Fuyumi turned to the couple just before she boarded her car. "I'll be here at 4:30 to help you get ready. Alright, Renge-chan?"

Renge nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you, Nee-san."

Fuyumi said her goodbyes to the two and slid into her car; within a few seconds, her black BMW drove away.

Renge and Kyouya entered his car soon after and drove off. As soon as they were on the expressway, Renge turned to her fiancé. "I'm so excited! Aren't you?"

Kyouya said nothing, just smiled slightly in response.

Renge opened up her purse and tucked the paper crane inside. "I've been so excited, I couldn't get any sleep all week."

"Let's hope you remedy that tonight," Kyouya turned to her.

"I know. We can't have your beautiful fiancée red eye and ugly, now can we?"

That same smile made his way in her direction. The car suddenly jolted to a rough stop. Both Renge and he lurched forward; quickly, Kyouya placed a hand across her lap, keeping her secure in her head. Renge quickly looked at him, meeting his gaze. For a moment, surprise was painted in his eyes and in a blink, it disappeared.

"My apologies, Bocchama," the driver told Kyouya. "It looks like a thick amount of traffic is on the expressway."

"If you can find an alternative route, please take it," he instructed. Slowly, he pulled his hand away from Renge's body.

Renge shuffled in her seat, looking through the windshield and then through her own window. "Hmm… I hope I get home in time. Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun are supposed to come over to drop off my dress."

Slowly, the car moved as the sky began to darken with reds and purples. Renge sat back in her chair, the soft leather catching the weight of her head. She smoothed out her dress and placed her purse in her lap. Perhaps it was the leather smell in the car, the sound of Bach from the car speakers or the darkening sky… Renge found herself closing her eyes and her conscious clouding. She leaned her head against the headrest; the leather squeaked momentarily, snapping her mind into consciousness. However, fatigue began to overcome her again. She could feel herself walking the line of sleep; she was not sure if what she felt or heard was real. There was a new warmth she felt that blanketed itself over her during the trip, trapping her body heat close. She may have just imagined it but she could have sworn she felt the touch of warm fingertips against her temple as her hair was brushed away from her face.

"Renge?" she heard a voice call her.

A pause and then her body stirred. "Renge," the voice called again.

That was Kyouya… Renge's eyes snapped open and she found a familiar building outside her window. "Already?" she asked in disbelief. "I only closed my eyes for five minutes."

"Try fifty minutes," Kyouya told her when the car stopped. The driver left his seat and stepped out to open Renge's door.

Renge moved her arms to unbuckle herself but she froze to find his jacket draped over her lap. "Um…" she swallowed, "Did you…?" her eyes fell on his jacket.

Kyouya softly cleared his throat and slowly took his jacket back. "You seemed cold."

"Oh," Renge could not hold back the flush that began to color her cheeks. "Well, thank you." She turned to the open car door that led to her house. She could not help but feel sadden by it; as silly as it sounded, she did not want to leave his car. Slowly, she pivoted her body and stepped out of the car.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he told her.

For a brief moment, she turned to him, meeting him eye to eye. It was a simple, short moment, but it was a feeling Renge burned into memory. He smiled gently at her, a smile she had seen times before… but it caused a stirring in her heart, watching him with gentle realization. It caused her to smile in return. "Good night." She disembarked the car and headed to her front door.

When she entered her house, she heard his car drive off. "Welcome home, Ojou-sama," her maid greeted. "Your father just arrived at the airport and is on his way."

Renge stood quietly, her fingers gently brushing her temple in thought.

"And Hitachiin Kaoru-sama just left twenty minutes ago. He placed your dress in your bedroom."

The mentioning of her engagement dress slipped her out of her daze. "Thank you, Aya." She stepped up the stairs to her room, clapping the lights on. Her pink dress, a beautiful silk off-the-shoulder piece with side ruffles looked like something straight from a fairy tale book. It was quietly draped over a plush chair in her room, near her vanity. She had been all smiles all day. "I should thank him," Renge opened up her purse to pull out her cell phone.

However, she found a paper crane waiting quietly in her velvet bag. She pulled it out of its hiding spot and placed it down on her desk; at the same time, she lowered herself, sitting upon her bed. The crane sat peacefully, keeping its shape as it stood erect on the desktop.

Six months ago, she was just a young woman in Paris, attending school; being someone's fiancée never came to mind. But it was not just any someone; it was Ootori Kyouya. The name from her past would soon be her future one in a few months time… She could not pinpoint when she started liking him or when she started loving him… Perhaps she started liking him after all those public outings… Playing the role of the perfect prince could wreck with a girl's mid. But she could not even name what she loved about him? His charisma? The camaraderie with his friends? Renge blinked.

Sometimes when she looked in his eyes, she found an emotion he rarely, nearly never openly expressed. She was quite sure that he had not looked at anyone with _those_ eyes… She first saw it when he was looking over her shoulder as she cooked his dinner over a week back. He watched her from past her shoulder, not saying a word, just silently watching while she deglazed the pan and set up their plates. Renge thought it was an illusion at first, that maybe she was reading into things… But she saw it again when they were having breakfast at his sister's and just now in the car. The thought of that set butterflies to flutter freely in her stomach.

Perhaps… just maybe he felt the same? Or at least, starting to? The idea caused a smile to appear on her face. And suddenly, she jumped off her bed, held her dress against her body and twirled. She picked up the hem and spun; she imagined the lights of the ballroom were all on her and that she was in the arms of her Prince Charming. Her prince with penetrating gray eyes, dark hair and a gentle voice to send her soul into heaven…

A soft bark interrupted her thoughts; Renge looked down to see her dog standing behind her feet. "Hello, Sophie!" Renge placed her dress back where she found it and picked the puppy up from the floor. "You know what?" she said as she sat back down on her bed, placing the dog on her lap. "Tomorrow, I'm going to tell Kyouya."

Sophie tilted her head to the side.

Renge tilted her head in the same direction as she kept her eyes on the white crane. "Yes… I'll tell him tomorrow!"


	10. Chapter 10

Perhaps Love

Part 10

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long! I've been on vacation and I didn't bring my notebooks (too much stuff in my carry-ons, man!). So, finally, here's the next part. Let's hope I'm more consistent with updates, eh? And of course, the website is updated.

* * *

Kyouya stood tall while Hikaru fussed with his suit, doing last minute pulling and checks. "Looking good, Senpai."

"Kyou-chan looks so cool!" Hunny squealed.

Mori nodded in agreement, with a thumbs up.

Kyouya smirked at the image in the mirror. He adjusted his striped white, pink and midnight tie, adding body to the piece. He did look good, he had to admit to himself.

"Ah," Tamaki sighed. "Spring is truly a season for love! To be young! To be in love! It's like a treasure from the gods! Just like how Haruhi and I--." A pin-cushion came sailing towards his head, hitting him in the face.

"That's dangerous, Hikaru," Haruhi scolded, noting the dozens of pins in the cushion.

"Oh, Haruhi, I'm alright," Tamaki held her, both hands on each shoulder, "so long as you're beside me, no projectile in the world--."

"It would be a hassle to the cleaning crew if they had to clean blood out of the carpet."

Immediately, Tamaki jumped to the corner of the room, huddled up with his knees to his chin. "Haruhi… I thought… I thought we had something special…"

Kyouya rolled his eyes. He could not even prepare in peace!

"All done," Hikaru stood straight, smoothing out his own pants. "I wonder how Kaoru's doing?" he muttered to himself, eyes to the door. "He should be done with Renge by now…" He picked up his pin-cushion and opened up his bag to put it away. "Crap."

Everyone turned to him.

"Kaoru forgot to get her tiara," he said as he pulled out a clear box, with the jeweled accessory inside.

Kyouya did a final smoothing back of his bangs and took hold of the box. "I'll bring it to her."

Hikaru blinked. "You sure?"

Kyouya nodded. "It's almost time anyway. Why don't you go downstairs; I'll check on her progress."

Everyone exchanged amused looks; Kyouya simply chose to ignore it. They all exited the room, Kyouya walked across the hall, all while the rest headed towards the elevators. Right when he was going to knock on the door, it flew open, revealing Kaoru. "Where's Hikaru?" he immediately asked.

"He's headed downstairs," Kyouya answered and held the box further up in view.

Kaoru let out a breath. "Okay, good. I forgot about that." He took the box from him and headed to the young woman seated at the vanity. Kaoru pulled open the box and delicately pulled it out of its velvet bed. He straightened the combs and slipped it onto her head.

Meanwhile, Fuyumi brushed the last bit of gloss on her lips. "I think we're done," Fuyumi said. "What do you think?"

"It all looks wonderful!" Renge exclaimed.

Even the dog, clothed in an identical pink wrap, barked in agreement.

Fuyumi looked up and noticed that Kyouya was still standing at the door. "Um… perhaps we should leave," she tapped Kaoru's shoulder.

"Huh? Why--? Oh," he observed, looking between the two. Both Fuyumi and Kaoru headed to the door. "Hey, make sure you don't mess up her makeup," Kaoru grinned at Kyouya with a devilish wiggle of the eyebrow.

Kyouya ignored the comment and waited until his sister and the Hitachiin were out of the room and closed the door behind them. Renge had been still the whole time, her back to the door, with the vanity mirror on the wall in front of her. He could see her face through the mirror's reflection; she smiled towards him. Renge stood to her feet, stepping away from the stool. "How do I look?" she asked, facing him.

It was one of the few times Kyouya could not find words to say. He knew she was beautiful; it was one of the reasons he chose her for his fiancée. He had to reprimand himself. All men are speechless when they see a beautiful woman dressed up, Kyouya rationalized. And he was no different, he kept telling himself. "You look very nice," he answered sincerely.

She smiled gently at him. "Thank you." Renge looked at him, observing how the suit perfectly draped on his body; the lean charcoal gray trousers perfectly lengthened his begs while the jacket structured his shoulders; he always had a way of looking impeccable. "You look perfect."

His eyes turned away momentarily, and then he returned to her, saying a quick, "Thanks." He noticed her rubbing her hands, one into the other; a sign that she was nervous… or thinking… or both… The awkward silence seemed to deafen the humans in the room; Sophie paid no attention and made excited panting noises with her tongue out. "I just wanted to make sure everything is in order," Kyouya moved his glasses farther up his nose as he pivoted towards the door.

"Wait," she called as he faced the wall near the door. When he stopped, she continued to speak. "Kyouya…"

He turned his head in her direction, not looking at her directly, but keeping her in his peripheral. Her eyes seemed to wander momentarily, perhaps calculating her thoughts. "Kyouya… it's strange, isn't it?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I never thought I would see you again for the rest of my life. But here you are. And even though we're not getting married now, we will someday. Strange, isn't it?"

"Yes," he agreed, not exactly sure where this conversation was headed. "You've changed since high school… slightly, at least. Still beautiful, but more mature."

"But you haven't changed a bit. Still cool, still calculating," Renge smiled softly. "But it's okay; I still… I would still fall in love."

Kyouya's whole system froze at her words. His eyes widened and he turned to her, not fully believing what he heard. Did she just say…?

Her eyes were darting between him and various parts of the room, her blush painting her cheeks. "I… I guess it would only be natural, considering all the time we spent together." She smiled at her own memories, all those said times in each other's company. "I used to wonder why my heart beat so fast," she placed a hand on her chest, "and why I wanted you to understand me. And how I wanted you to be well." Renge paused for a moment before continuing. "I love you… because in the end, I just do. I want to see you forever."

To say Kyouya was rendered speechless was an understatement. She loved him? For a few moments, he did not know what to say to her. She could not possibly love him! Kyouya thought she just had a crush! This was starting to take a bad turn rather quickly. She was looking at him for a response; he could feel her eyes on him. What, did she expect the same confession from him? If she did, she was mistaken. He could not love her; he did not even know the first thing about it. She probably did not either. He looked at her for a brief second, and then turned his eyes away. In that brief second, he managed to capture her face to memory. The way she smiled at him, the way she gazed at him… there really was no doubt on his part. _She did._

Kyouya had to think quickly. Could he really lie to her and say he loved her? No, he had to be honest. Blame it on the last ounce of morality he contained. He could not give her any false pretense; commitment, yes, overall content, sure, but definitely not love. He thought she was prepared for a professional, loveless marriage. If he did not set things straight now, things could get worse. He decided to tell her the truth. "I'm sorry," he began. "This marriage is first and foremost… business." He kept his eyes to the wall as he continued. "I assumed you understood that."

The room went completely silent at that moment, as if a heavy cloud choked them. For a while, no one moved until the shift of fabric was heard. Renge bent down, picking up Sophie, eyes to the floor. "I know. I just thought I should tell you. I just wanted to get it off my chest."

He turned to face the door, feeling that the awkwardness had not left. "It's almost time," he said as he opened his pocket watch.

"You go on ahead," she told him and placed the dog on the vanity's table. "I need to finish with Sophie."

"Alright," he did not hesitate to leave the room, away from her presence, if only for a few moments. "I'll see you downstairs."

"See you," she whispered.

Kyouya quickly closed the door, entered the elevator and headed to the lobby level. When he entered the banquet hall, he found his father and hers standing at the entrance. "Where is she?" Houshakuji asked.

"Last minute preparations," he told the older man. He checked his pocket watch again that read five minutes until five. He peered inside, watching the guests buzz around in discussion. He remained standing beside his father and let the minutes pass by. Five o'clock soon hit, and then five minutes passed, then ten. Kyouya looked to his pocket watch again.

"It's 5:15," Yoshio observed. "Where is she?"

"I'll… I'll check on her," Houshakuji stepped away and disappeared into the elevators.

A million thoughts began to run in Kyouya's head. What was taking her so long? He refused to believe that it took twenty minutes to get a small dog dressed; now that he thought about it, the dog did not even need to be dressed. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed but no answer was received.

Houshakuji returned within a few minutes. He emerged out of the elevator, on his phone. "Comb the building if you must!" he ordered, hissing into the phone. He returned to the Ootori men, delivering news with an anxious expression on his face. "Renge… Renge is not in her room."

Kyouya's eyes widened.

"I'm so sorry, Ootori-san. Kyouya-san," he apologized. "I have no idea where she disappeared to."

"She may still be in the building or she may have left by now," Yoshio thought out loud.

Kyouya realized his terrible mistake. "No, she's gone on purpose. She would never wait this long past a deadline without a grave reason." Kyouya redialed her phone and received no answer. He pressed a button for his speed dial. "Find Renge," he told the man on the other line. "Check her school and her house. Now." He slammed his phone closed and turned to the ballroom, which was now in a buzz of concern. He took a few deep breaths before entering the room and making a beeline to the front table. His presence gained the attention of the room and everyone was silenced.

"Everyone," he began, "our families and I would like to thank you for joining us today. Unfortunately, Renge is not feeling very well and I'm afraid we must postpone this event for a later date. We will contact you all again when we have set another time. We thank you again for your generosity and well wishes." Kyouya bowed, his head inclined towards the crowd.

At first everyone did not know whether it was true or not. There was a mutter of doubt and suspicions that filtered its way through the crowd. The Host Club members were approaching Kyouya, but he avoided their gaze and marched out the door.

--

Renge found herself moving before she actually realized what she was doing. Renge left the hotel in a hurry and told her driver to go to the Pan Pacific Hotel in Yokohama. She could not go back home, she could not stay at the party either; she just had to get away. And that was how she found herself in a hotel suite, dressed down to a bathrobe with Sophie on her lap. Her dress and jewels were laid carefully on the vanity, with Sophie's skirt beside it. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from all the crying. She knew she should stop but her body responded on its own; for minutes on end, she would hug Sophie close, crying into her soft fur, the small warmth of her body the only comfort Renge could receive.

Renge told Kyouya she loved him and in response, he rejected it. The marriage was just for business? A part of her always knew that, shoe downright expected it in the beginning. But after all these months, nothing had changed? The feelings, the small gestures, the gazes… did she just read into them? Renge thought they were there… She began to see the real Kyouya, the one behind the smart suits, the clever tongue and the charming personality and found a sharp-minded, calculating and, at times, affectionate man. She assumed that she would fall for a prince-like personality, not the cool, aloof gentleman.

Still… she did fall… and she thought he did too. "But I was wrong, Sophie…" she curled her face against Sophie, crying her new set of tears out again. Sophie whimpered for her mistress and licked her cheeks. It hurt Renge's chest so much, almost as if she could not breathe. His words played in her mind over and over again, each time felt like a knife piercing her heart.

A sudden knock came to the door. "Renge!" her father called from the other side of the door. "Renge, it's me. Please open the door!"

Renge looked up and placed Sophie down on the bed as she crossed the room. She stopped in front of the door to momentarily listen to the knocking. She had to face her father sooner or later… Renge opened the door and immediately Houshakuji stepped in. "Oh, Renge! You had me worried so much! Are you alright?"

Renge slowly nodded.

Houshakuji asked, "Renge, what happened? Why did you leave?" as he closed the door after him. He paused for a moment, observing his daughter's distressed state. "Renge, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry, Otou-sama," she walked over to the bed and sat down. "I can't… I can't go through this…"

"Why not?" Houshakuji followed her, sitting beside her. "What happened? I thought you and Kyouya-san were getting along so well."

Renge thought silently for a moment. Should she tell him? Tell him that the man simply feigned interest to gain not only her favor but her father as well? That would prove more troublesome. As much as she was angry and heartbroken, she could not bring herself to speak ill of her fiancé. "I… I realized I couldn't get married to him. He and I… I realized it's not right."

"But you told me you like him."

"I thought I did, but… not enough to marry him. I'm so sorry, Otou-sama. I was too scared to face everyone, so I left. I couldn't… I just couldn't…" she buried her face in her hands, capturing her tears in her palms.

Houshakuji tried to comfort his daughter by pulling her in a hug. He patted her head gently, encouraging strength into her. "It's alright, Renge. It's alright…"

"I'm sorry, Otou-sama," she apologized again, her face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry if this causes any difficulties with Ootori-san."

"Don't worry about that," Houshakuji pulled away momentarily, tilting his head to look at her face. "But Renge, I think you need to apologize to Kyouya-san. He deserves an explanation."

She dreaded that, having to face Kyouya to tell him it was over. "I will, I just… I can't… not now. I just need to get away."

"Then how about I take you somewhere? Milan? Or the Caribbean?"

"What about your business trip to America?"

He shook his head. "You're my daughter; your happiness is far more important."

"But evaluations are coming in a few days. You can't miss that!" she argued.

"And I can't leave you alone," he countered. "I know that something is wrong. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine but let me help in any way I can."

"But I think I need to be alone," she answered softly. "Just to think. I need to go to America."

"But--."

"Please," she pleaded, her glassy eyes staring back at her father.

He took a deep breath. "Is that really what you want?" He watched her nod and he sighed, defeated. "Alright, I'll leave the day after originally planned. But tomorrow night, we return to Tokyo, alright? We have to enlist you in school." He stood from his seat and said that he had to make a call.

Renge turned and noticed Sophie curled up against her backside. She reached to scratch the animal behind the ears while she listened to her father's conversation in the other room.

_I'm sorry,_ she cried, _I'm sorry._


	11. Chapter 11

Perhaps Love  
Chapter 11  
Notes: There are a few reviewers I would like to acknowledge...

Xaki: If only you had an account/signed-in, I would have answered your questions or commented. I tried to make it so that Kyouya, for a smart guy, is emotionally stupid beyond all reason...  
Story Weaver1: Since the ball is in Kyouya's court, he's going to shoot from the 3-point line. And airball. Or more like brick. You'll see what I mean.

And thank you very much to everyone else that reviewed. I'm happy that we all have seen how much Renge has grown (especially from Chapter 4); we all felt sorry for her too. But now I'm curious, after this chapter, do tell me: do you feel sorry for Kyouya?

And as always, please check the website! But... I don't think I have any pics to add... so you can kind of disregard that. It won't hurt my feelings.

* * *

"I understand," Yoshio said into his phone. "Alright, I'll see you later. Bye." He hung up the phone, placing it back on its cradle. Yoshio leaned back into his desk chair. "Houshakuji found her. In Yokohama."

Kyouya sat on a dark leather chair in front of the desk, elbows on the armrests, legs crossed.

"She's having doubts about the arrangement. Did you know of this?" Yoshio watched his youngest son remain still, eyes cast to the desk lamp. Yoshio let out a frustrated breath. "This would not have happened had you prepared properly. The way you went about this engagement was far too aloof and sloppy." Kyouya said nothing as his father continued. "You obviously did not work hard enough to settle these matters. Now, it is your problem to fix." Yoshio left his desk and walked out of the library.

Kyouya remained seated as he uncrossed his legs and rested his chin onto his fist. That troublesome woman made a bloody laughing stock out of him. She knew exactly what she was doing! He was blind-sighted.

Kyouya frowned. Hypothetically speaking, say it was his fault. The only way that was true was because she took what he said to heart. Frankly, he had to say it. After all, that was why he asked to marry her in the first place... Putting Haruhi aside, there was no other option. He had to marry a respectable and beautiful woman... Renge fit the bill perfectly.

Except the fact that she had too much of a free spirit to do and say as she pleased.

But, as much as he did not want to say it, he was sloppy. Had he not made his engagement so public, this rejection would not have made it to tomorrow's news. That was his mistake; his quest for the spotlight and the upper hand backfired on him. But he assumed she would stay; he thought she had a crush on him. And then it developed into love. And then, he blew things up.

Kyouya stood from his chair and headed to his room. Once inside, he ripped off his jacket and tossed it to the couch. Damn that woman and everything she represented! He had to fix things, before rumors began. But he could not speak to her while Houshakuji was still around. The Houshakuji patriarch was quite protective of his daughter. Kyouya decided to wait for a few days, give her time to clear her frustration. Then he would talk to her. Then, he would set things straight.

--

She sat at her desk in her bedroom, reading over the list of classes she needed to take. Her father had already left for America that morning, quite reluctantly. She drove with him to the airport, assuring him that she was fine. Her eyes turned absently to the white crane sitting on her desk. She forced her eyes to the list of classes but soon found herself reaching for the crane. She gently tugged at its head and tail, causing it to flap its wings.

She heard a knock on her bedroom door. "Ojou-sama," her maid called, "Ootori Kyouya-sama is at the door, wishing to speak to you."

She felt her heart stop. It had been days since she walked out on the party. How angry was he? Still, no matter how much he hurt her, he did deserve an explanation. "I'll be right down." She stood from her desk and left her bedroom, with her maid close behind. Renge walked down the stairs and found Kyouya in her foyer, eyeing a silver vase sitting on a marble table. "Thank you, Aya. That'll be all." The maid obediently left them alone.

Her voice caused Kyouya to turn in her direction. At first glance, Kyouya looked normal. Men who were usually embarrassed were seething with anger, lips pulled back in a sneer, eyes glowing red. However, if she learned anything about Kyouya in these past months, it was that he was not like usual men. He had a tendency to bottle up his thoughts, including anger. She was expecting to at least see those dark eyes, the look which signaled how displeased he was. However, she did not even get that. "Good afternoon," he greeted.

"Hello," she muttered slightly above a whisper. They both stood quietly; Kyouya shifted his weight to one foot. "I... I don't know what to say to you..." she admitted softly.

Kyouya crossed his arms. "Say whatever you wish."

Her eyes darted across the floor before she began. "I'm sorry," she told him, "I'm sorry for leaving in such a haste. But I had to--."

"Did you, now?" he snapped, his voice low. Renge immediately shut her mouth. "You know, Renge, this has proved quite troublesome. The day after you left, rumors of our unhappy engagement began to formulate."

"But they're not rumors. It is unhappy!" she exclaimed.

"It didn't have to be--."

"But I tried, Kyouya!" she interrupted him. "God knows I tried. I knew for a long time that my marriage would be primarily of social benefit. But then when you approached my dad to marry me, I thought I was saved. You were someone I knew, so I thought that the match wasn't so bad. That maybe I could make the most of it. The least we could do was be friends. But as the months passed, I wanted you to like me... and then I got to see who you are... at least, I thought I did. You can't blame me for leaving."

Kyouya narrowed his eyes at her. "You said so yourself. You were ready to marry for benefit, not for love."

"Easier said than done," she laughed, defeated. She could feel tears stinging her eyes, momentarily blurring her vision. "Not until... I didn't think it would be so important... I thought I could stay with you, even if you didn't love me..." she shook her head, blinking back her tears.

No one moved for quite some time. They remained standing quietly in her entrance foyer, her occasional sniffs broke their silence. Kyouya took a step forward, and then followed it by another. He closed the distance between them and reached for an object in her hand. Immediately, his eyebrows lifted, recognizing the white origami that was in her hand. He held it in her direction again, offering it back to her. She took it with a weak grip. "Marry me," he said.

Renge suddenly looked up at him. Was that a request? A plea? She could not tell from his voice. "Why?"

"Because..." he softly cleared his throat. "Because we've been together for so long and..." he trailed off, his eyes briefly turning away.

Renge's eyes widened, anticipating his next words.

"And..." he turned his eyes back to her, "... I believe it's in our best interest. Rather than erasing what is there, let's fix what we have."

Renge felt a pinch to her heart. "You mean... because it's convenient?"

"Isn't that what marriage is, at least for our type? A convenient agreement?"

Renge's eyes dropped to the floor, feeling her heart shatter into small pieces. Slowly, one at a time, tears fells from her eyes. She could feel her head cloud up and her limbs numb. With just those few sentences, she felt hope rush out the door. "I think it's best that you leave," she told him, eyes averted off to the side.

"Ren--."

"Please!" Renge exclaimed, her face unmoving. "Please, Kyouya. Leave." She kept her eyes away from him as he stood before her, frozen on the spot.

But within a few moments, he pivoted on his heels. "Very well," he walked away at a steady pace, seeing himself to the door. Kyouya exited the house, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door shut, Renge fell to her knees and let out a sob. It hurt, she realized, like her insides were being pulled out. Like her shattered heart was smashed and crumbled to dust. Her cries echoed in the halls as she held the origami crane against her chest.

--

The moment Kyouya entered his room, he picked up the nearest object, his cell phone, and threw it against the cushions of his bed. He opened his laptop up before closing it in disgust. His usual habits were to fish through his email and check his stocks, but since he owned some shared of the Houshakuji company... anything that was associated with her angered him! So, Kyouya decided to pick up a book... he had not picked up a book for leisure purposes in a while. In fact, he did not sleep much that night nor did he exactly remember what he read... something about a murder and a secret society that was somehow connected to Leonardo da Vinci's work. Either way, he read it cover to cover, determined not to think of his situation or the parties involved; and never mind that part of the book that took place in France... After reading the hardcover, he threw it to the foot of the bed; it bounced off and fell to the floor with a hearty thud.

Who the hell did she think she was, rejecting him like that?! For one of those moments in his life when he was honest, it came back to bite him. He did want to be with her, he invested time and money on her, why would he try to start over with someone else?!

It was strange, Kyouya realized as early morning appeared. His room was far more quiet than normal; there was no incessant puppy barking, jumping on his bed.

He left for the breakfast table, finding a usual quiet, solitary setting for himself. He ate breakfast uninterrupted, along with reading the morning paper. Near the end of his breakfast, his butler brought him a small white envelope with his name written on it. He placed it down beside Kyouya's plate and left him be. Kyouya's eyes absently turned to the envelope, then stood with envelope in hand. He returned to his room, dropped the envelope on his bed and began to dress. He was out all day, meeting with school advisors as he planned out his next semester. As soon as he walked out of the building, photographers and media were outside waiting for him, asking about Renge's health and whereabouts. Kyouya said little to nothing about his estranged fiancee, informing them he just saw her yesterday and she was getting better. He avoided the questions of their dissolving engagement and hopped into his car to drive off.

Kyouya arrived to a quiet home. Immediately, he headed to his room and found the envelope undisturbed on his bed. He was thinking of throwing it away without viewing the contents but something, whatever it was, compelled him to pick it up. He sat down on the foot of the bed and slowly opened it. As he previously expected, he found a letter to him.

_Dearest Kyouya,_

_After tonight, I didn't think there was more to say. However, before I knew it, I found myself at my desk, writing this letter to you._

_I was never a girl who cared about others' opinions. I never had any previous problems and just said what I felt. However, with you, what I said mattered. And before I knew it, I changed. Maybe it was because of you, our situation, or just me growing up. I'm not too sure._

_But one thing that has not changed is my selfishness. I wanted all these things from you: first a princely image, then your attention, your friendship, then acceptance and finally your love. I don't know if I gained any of this in our time together, which hurts. You shut people out, it's what you naturally do, but yet a part of me felt as if I could somehow get past that, seeing as I was your fiancee. Yet, I was wrong. The sole fact that I can't have your love breaks my heart._

_The older I get, the more involved I become in Father's business. What was once a cordial memory has now become a painful memory of what I cannot have. I decided to leave; I may be able to conduct business so long as we are not underneath the same sky. I think it would be best to sever all personal ties, if not for the sake of business, but also for the sake of my sanity._

_I send you this in this manner because I'm not strong enough for another face to face interaction. That is also another reason as to why I'm returning to Paris; so I may somehow find strength to mend my heart._

_So, consider this farewell. The next time we meet will be business-related. I wish you well and I know you'll do your best in live. After all, you are you: ambitious, cunning, and always making things happen._

_Au revoir. Sayonara._

_Renge_

Kyouya tipped the envelope over and out tumbled the diamond studded ring. He picked it up between his forefinger and thumb, watching as it captured the lights from his room.

So that was it, he mused. No more obligatory phone calls, no more dog to trash his slippers, no needed outings... Surely his life would be far better now.

However, a part of him could not erase the fact that she indeed rejected him. She was demanding far too much, he argued. Who in their right mind could honestly live up to that? They were engaged to be married, not engaged to be in love. As silly as it sounded, it made sense to him. She was asking for too much. After all, to him, love was not important. Love, if anything, was a distraction in his life. As the third son, he thought his life was predetermined. It was only a few years ago when he realized that he could move far in life, if he wished. To be able to do as he pleased, yet fully support his family members all while standing on his own two feet required all his attention. Love was trivial, he told himself as he put the letter and ring back in the envelope.

"Good riddance," he muttered. No distractions. He gave her a chance and she did not take it; therefore, she was not worth his time anymore. Even though he kept telling himself that it was unimportant, he could not understand why he kept thinking about it. He was having this mental debate in his head and purposely avoided the envelope most of the day. For something that was not supposed to matter, it seemed like it did, unfortunately.

No matter. It must have been the initial shot of rejection, the first time his pride was hit. He stood from his bed and crossed over to his couch in front of the television, dropping the envelope in a waste container along the way. He turned the television on to the news, which reported a brief, weak earthquake in Shikoku.

He was probably only sitting down for ten minutes when he stood from his seat, pulled out the envelope from the empty waste bin and stashed it deep in the drawer of his end table. After all, I did spend thousands on that ring, he reasoned. He returned to his couch, continuing with the news, trying to forget unimportant matters.


	12. Chapter 12

Perhaps Love  
Part 12  
Notes: Just a few more chapters to go. And I heard in French class that "chou-chou" is slang for "darling"; the real meaning is "scrunchie", I think. (Haha. Thanks Madame Munoz!) Check the website (but it's only one picture... sorry guys)!

* * *

Tamaki stood tall, hand stroking his chin in deep thought. Then he closed his eyes and pressed a few of his fingers against his forehead. His hand then moved again to cradle his chin as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. After over a minute of standing, he finally spoke. "Okaa-san."

Kyouya, who stood a few feet behind him, obliged. "Yes, Otou-san?"

"Chocolate or vanilla?"

"Does it matter?"

Tamaki whipped around, face completely aghast. "Of course it matters! It's my lovey dovey surprise for Haruhi! Of course it needs to be perfect!"

Kyouya shook his head. Again, he was spending a slow weekend on one of Tamaki's excursions. This time, he found himself accompanying the newly named Suou heir to a commoner's supermarket, where he insisted they buy ingredients for a cake. "Why don't you cater a cake?"

"Kyouya, did you not know?" Tamaki stood tall, finger out towards his friend, "that the most important ingredient to this cake is love?"

Kyouya raised a brow.

"Yes, love! As if you cry in the batter, the one who partakes will feel the maker's sadness! Thus if I pour all my heart and soul into this creation, Haruhi shall feel it as well!" Tamaki exclaimed with such conviction and roses and sparkles, completely disregarding the spectacle he was making of himself in the baking section.

Kyouya adjusted his opaqued glasses higher on the bridge of his nose.

"And so, I must decide! Chocolate, to represent Haruhi's eyes, or vanilla to represent her pure white sweetness?"

"Vanilla," Kyouya made the decision for his friend, randomly picking between the two.

"Ah, of course! And while I'm at it, I can put other things in it too! Like fruits or nuts..." Tamaki began to drop items in his basket, some things completely unnecessary for the procedure, such as muffin tins and cookie cutters. "Kyouya, can you hand me the flour?" he said, pointing to the said product behind Kyouya's head.

Kyouya turned around and reached over, picking up a small pack of flour. He pulled it off the shelf and for a moment, his mind drifted.

_"You find amusement in this?"_

_"Your head is white! Like an old man!"_

_"Speak for yourself."_

"Kyouya? What's so funny?"

When Kyouya turned to his friend, he realized he was actually smiling. It was a soft one, but it was there; it was only for a brief second but long enough for his friend to see. Quickly, Kyouya looked away, reformulated his mask and dropped the pack of flour into the basket. "Nothing in particular."

Tamaki smiled fondly as he picked up a pack of chocolate chips. "You know, Kyouya, you've been doing that for a while now."

"Doing what?"

"The occasional gazing off, those soft smiles to distant thoughts... you probably didn't realize it, did you?" Tamaki threw in a pack of salted peanuts.

"And your point being? They are merely memories, not particularly enjoyable as you may think."

"Hm..." Tamaki made a noise that seemed to disagree. He threw in a jar of caramel sauce. "How is Renge-kun?"

"I haven't spoken to her for over a month."

"But you know what she is up to?"

Kyouya crossed his arms. "She started her semester in Paris. That's all I know."

Tamaki turned to him, giving him a pair of knowing eyes. It was clear that Tamaki did not believe him for a second. "Hopefully, she's doing well," Tamaki pulled a pack of gummi bears from the racks.

"Most likely," Kyouya simply answered. "She's not the type to stay down for long."

"Are you sure?" Tamaki asked. "Whether we know it or not, love changes everyone," and he stared thoughtfully at Kyouya. "Including ourselves."

Kyouya caught on fairly quickly. "Is there something you wish to say?"

"Not particularly," Tamaki looked at the Green Tea Pocky with a curious purse of his lips, then dropped it in with the rest of his goods. "But you know, you and I are alike in some ways."

"So I've heard from your girlfriend," Kyouya commented, lowering his voice on the last three words.

"We can read other people's thoughts and emotions very well," Tamaki continued. "But when it comes to how we view ourselves, we're as blind as bats!" He laughed, filling his basket with more goodies. "And since that's the case, it's kind of sad... because we may miss an opportunity, or something very important to us."

Tamaki said it with an absent tone but Kyouya was no fool. He could see that Tamaki was not just running his mouth; he was thinking out loud and telling Kyouya his very thoughts. However, the subject matter was sending Kyouya's own thoughts on edge. Missed opportunity? He could feel his insides shift, like the pit of his stomach was telling him that something was wrong.

The sound of a full basket falling to the floor caused Kyouya to jump out of his thoughts.

"I just realized something..." Tamaki whined with the utmost dread. "Haruhi doesn't like sweets!"

Kyouya's expression did not change as he said, "I was wondering when you would realize that."

Tamaki scrambled back and forth, placing the items back in their spots. "Mon Dieu! Now what am I going to give her for a lovey dovey surprise?!"

One hour passed and two convulsions later, Tamaki walked out with a blank card, a small teddy bear adorning the cover. "I'll just write her some sentimental prose," he told Kyouya as they entered Tamaki's limo.

But Kyouya was only half paying attention. He kept recalling all those conversations bits his friend brought up in the store.

First was the recollections. Alright, Kyouya had to admit that he thought of her every now and then. She would occasionally sneak into his thoughts without consent. He could be doing something mundane, such as eating breakfast or sitting in his Emerging Disease class when a memory involving Renge would pop up. And the memories were not particularly significant: conversations they had over lunch, the way she would laugh, the color of her eyes...

That also brought up another thing. Certain objects in daily life would trigger thoughts of her, such as hair ribbons, pomeranians, the colors of lemon and pink, French cuisine, coffee, chocolate and strawberry cakes... As the weeks passed, Kyouya soon realized that the list was long... a little too long for his liking.

The second topic Tamaki brought up was opportunities. What missed opportunities? He gave her a chance and she dropped it. Perhaps in that sense, love changed her. Love changed her to want something he would not give her.

And as for missing something important... to Kyouya's surprise, his mind went completely blank... Did he not have an analytical argument against that?

"'Haruhi, Mon Chou-chou...' What rhymes with 'chou-chou'? Kyouya?" Tamaki snapped him out of his internal argument. "Are you alright?"

Kyouya resisted cradling his head in his hand. "I'm fine. Just..." This was really bothering him. "Can you handle your love poem by yourself?"

"Sure," Tamaki turned forward. "Takumi-kun," he addressed the driver. "Can we drop Kyouya off first?"

"Of course, Bocchama," the man replied. The chauffeur detoured from his original route. Within a few minutes, they arrived at the Ootori household.

Just as Kyouya stepped out of the limo, Tamaki spoke. "Kyouya. Really think about it, alright?"

"'It'?" Kyouya raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever 'it' is," Tamaki smiled.

Kyouya frowned. Tamaki was far more observant than he gave him credit for; he and Haruhi were perfect for each other. "See you later." Kyouya passed the gates and entered his house.

As soon as he entered his bedroom, he pulled off his jacket, flung it on the couch and sorted through the mail sitting on his coffee table. He separated the enveloped mail from the junk addressed to him. One flyer from the same supermarket he just returned from caught his eye. He sat back on the couch and folded the flyer in half.

Just because he often thought of her did not mean he missed her, he argued. He was just used to seeing her or hearing from her.

He folded it again.

Now that she had been gone for over a month, the gaps she filled in his schedule had not been replaced.

He creased the paper again.

So then... Why has he not filled in those time gaps? Why were they not filled with meetings, social events, study groups or anything? Why did he think of her if he did not miss her? Kyouya continued to fold the flyer up until he developed a paper crane. It had been a while since he made one... In fact, if he remembered correctly, the last one he made was at the hotel. Renge's eyes lit up so much when he gave it to her... And it was also in her hand the last time he saw her.

He was thinking about her again?! Disgusted with himself, he tossed it on the couch as he stood up and headed for the shower.

He was not a man who dwelled on which had already passed. So why could he not stop thinking of Renge? Kyouya let out a frustrated sigh as he looked up, letting the water from the showerhead stream down on his face. It was going to be one of those days, those terrible days when he casually thought of his former fiancee. He had been doing that since she left...

Kyouya poured some shampoo in his hand and massaged it through his hair.

As strange as it sounded, she always made his day begin. Every morning, he would receive a text message, greeting him and telling him to eat a hearty lunch or do well on an exam. It was almost like a nagging mother doting on her son, but as the months passed, it became... normal. So normal that even still, he would expect a text although they had been separated for over a month.

He rinsed his hair out and lathered his body with soap suds.

To be perfectly honest, he was getting used to having her around. Even that little puff of a dog was starting to grow on him. Dare he say it, but Kyouya became quite accustomed to having her around. However as of late, her traces began to disappear. He began to remember bits and pieces of her, and it left Kyouya feeling something he never felt before; frankly it perplexed him. He could faintly remember how she laughed; she held that first syllable for a few seconds before continuing. He clearly remembered how she spoke with Sophie in a high-pitched baby voice, switching back and forth between French and Japanese, probably confusing the poor canine. And her eyes... were they amber, hazel, or brown? He should have known that, seeing as she always stared at him with sparkling large eyes. What if it came to the point where he forgot her face entirely or the fragrance of her perfume? The thought of not remembering caused such a restless state inside his system, leaving a strange pain in his chest.

Kyouya turned the water off after rinsing himself clean. Pain? He was feeling pain because Renge was not around? That could not be right. He remained standing in the shower for a few moments. Is that what it was? The strange longing and unease that had nestled its way to his heart for this past month... was he really missing her?

Now that Kyouya thought about it, there really was no other explanation.

He quickly threw on a towel around his waist and headed to his room. He threw open the drawer in his end table and dug his hands inside. He pulled out a white envelope and opened it to verify its contents.

Was it really too late? Kyouya did not believe it was.

Kyouya reached for his phone and dialed a number. "Get the plane ready," he requested to the person on the other line. "Paris. Yes. Thank you." He hung up and dropped both his phone and the envelope on his bed, heading to his closet. He pulled it open, reaching for a luggage piece and in a haste, began to pack various articles of clothing. He scrambled about the room, packing necessary clothes, toiletries, electronics, all while calling his hired help on a small intercom device. "Get the car ready, please. I'm heading for the airport." The last things he threw in his bags were his passport and the envelope. After all his necessary preparations, Kyouya changed out of his towel and into dark slacks, a periwinkle shirt and a grey wool coat, and marched out the door. "If Father asks, tell him I'm going to 'fix my problem'," he told his butler before leaving in his car.

As the car drove off, he zipped open the side pocket of his bag and pulled out the envelope. He reached inside and took out the ring, watching as it caught the street lights outside.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. Kyouya reached in his bag and answered it.

"Kyouya!" Tamaki's voice came from the other side. "I was wondering if you're free tomorrow? The current Host Club would like to meet with all of us, so--."

"I'm sorry, I can't make it," Kyouya told his friend. "I have important matters to attend to now."

A pause. "Are you in a car?"

"Yes."

"Oh. So, where are you headed?"

Kyouya's mind turned into a blank slate for a moment. Should he tell him? If he did, would he have to endure teasing and love advice? "Nowhere," he said but immediately regretted it. That made things sound more suspicious!

Tamaki gasped on the other line. "What? I thought we were friends, Kyouya! You can tell me anything!" Tamaki immediately jumped in a tirade of how they had known each other for years, like brothers, through the hardships rich beautiful men had to endure...

For whatever reason, Kyouya's patience was non-existent that evening. "Paris!" he answered just to make his friend shut up.

"You're going to Paris?" Tamaki asked, stopping his camaraderie speech.

"Yes."

Surprisingly, he did not get Tamaki's speech on finally seeing the light, the beauty of realizing love or anything else unnecessary. Instead, he was silent for a few moments. Kyouya swore he could hear Tamaki's gentle, knowing smile. "Good luck, Kyouya," Tamaki encouraged him. "Don't miss your chance this time. Open yourself up to her and she'll listen. Even if it is embarrassing or unusual, real men can put that aside for something they hold dear... right?"

There were moments of calm when Tamaki showed brilliance. Kyouya found his own lips in a gentle smirk. "I'll call you when I'm back."

"Alright. See you, Kyouya."

Kyouya hung up his phone and turned to the ring in hand again. It was out of character of him; since when did he become such a rash individual? Two hours ago, was he not frustrated, sitting at home? Now he was on his way to the airport to Paris to talk with her. Was this not highly unusual for him? "'For something they hold dear'... huh?" he muttered out loud while holding the ring.


	13. Chapter 13

Perhaps Love  
Part 13  
Author's Notes: I LIVE!! I'm so sorry everyone! But I have a huge project for all you Kyouya/Renge fans. It should be up on the website by the time the last chapter is up. So, for your info, this is the second to the last chapter. Wooo! One more chapter!!

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"Renge, what's wrong?"

Renge turned from the car window to her friend and back to the window. "Oh, nothing," she answered, watching her urban mansion come into view.

"Are you thinking of him?"

Immediately, Renge let out a laugh. "Of course not, Angelique. Of course... why would--."

"Because I can tell," her friend replied. "You know, you haven't talked about it and I'm kind of worried."

"I'm fine," Renge smiled. "Remember, strong beautiful women like us don't need men to be happy!" She waited until the car came to a complete stop before opening the door. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

Angelique nodded. "Remember to wear lilac! Bye!"

"Bye," Renge exited the car and walked up the steps to her home.

Her maid was standing at the door, ready to let her in. "Welcome home, Ojou-sama."

"Is Otou-sama here yet?"

"N-no, not yet," her maid said. Renge noticed Sophie nestled in the other woman's arms. She said nothing at first but made it quite clear she questioned her maid's intentions. "Oh, I'm going to give Sophie-sama a bath."

"I see," Renge headed to her bedroom. "Take good care of her. And use the pomegranate shampoo this time," she called over her shoulder.

Renge closed the door behind her and immediately tossed her purse to her bed. She took a seat at her vanity, eyes to the faded, aged wooden flat surface. Every time she closed her eyes, her thoughts headed back to Japan, back to Tokyo, back to one Ootori Kyouya. She wanted to hate herself for doing that, thinking of the man who broke her heart. But did she really have any control of that? Love made her do silly things. But she missed those dinners, those lunches between classes, even those public meetings. She did not know leaving would hurt as bad as it did... but she knew she had to do it. When it boiled down to it, she could not marry Kyouya. Love complicated things. Ironically, love ruined her engagement.

She pulled the middle drawer of her vanity open, revealing the treasures inside: postcards, letters, antique jewelry and a single white paper crane. She pulled it out and stared at it as it laid in her palm while she closed the drawer.

So many things reminded her of Kyouya... black tea, origami, the color blue, Versace suits... each item brought back a happy memory of Kyouya, which was soon followed by a pain in her heart.

She gently tugged on its tail and head, causing the paper creature to flap its wings. Renge missed him, even if she knew it was wrong to do so. She placed the crane down on the vanity top and crossed her arms on the table, resting her head on top of them. Staring at the creation long enough brought tears to her eyes.

Renge suddenly felt a chill down her neck and saw a form come into view in her mirror. Horrified, with her heart erupting out of her chest, she jumped to her feet and turned. Her eyes met with her visitor's and she immediately paled. "Kyouya...?" Was he really here, standing in her room, in Paris? She glanced out to her window, spotting the Eiffel Tower shooting up the skyline, verifying that she indeed was in France. But she was not dreaming, right? He was standing just a few feet away, in the flesh? "Kyouya... what are... what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you," he simply answered.

"But... there's nothing else to talk about," she winced, remembering when they last saw one another.

"I beg to differ," he told her. He stepped closer to her.

She took a step back, her backside hitting her vanity table. "H-how so?" She took a side step away from the chair, freeing herself of her small trap.

"The unresolved issues between you and me," he told her as he approached her.

"Unresolved..." she felt a fire of hope beginning in her chest but she had to clear her head and snuff out the feeling of joy. "How did you get in here anyway? Aya!" she called. When no response was made, she called again, this time walking towards the door.

"I've asked all your employees to let us be until everything settles. So that we may talk, uninterrupted," he stopped her from opening the door.

Never did she fear Kyouya or his intentions; if anything, she was scared of her own weakness. She had to stay strong. "There's nothing left to discuss! The engagement's over. I can go on with my life and you can go on with yours!" she said as she turned to him.

"It's not that simple. I would gladly go on with my life if I could. However..." Kyouya turned his eyes away for a moment and then returned his gaze. "It's easier said than done."

Renge tried not to listen to her heart skip. "Wh-why not?"

He did not speak for a moment. He was thinking quietly, hearing the advice Tamaki gave him. Open his heart? Kyouya never had to do that before; honesty was one thing but honesty when it came to this? Insecurity was never an emotion he felt before, but one thing was for sure, it did not feel very good. "It's because..." Be honest, he told himself, "...because you always set things at... at unease. I expected a cordial, beneficial marriage to a rich woman. However, this engagement exploded, took a life of its own. And then you ended it."

"It was the right thing--," she tried to convince herself.

"Was it? It was not as if I mistreated you physically or mentally."

"But my emotions weren't saved! You-- I loved you and I couldn't sit there, knowing you didn't feel the same. I thought I could but it was harder than I thought."

"What? And you thought I was completely heartless?" Kyouya raised an eyebrow. "As if in the end, I would not feel a thing when you left?"

"It..." she swallowed. "It was for the best..."

"To integrate yourself so deep into my life that it would become nearly ritualistic? And then pull yourself out? That was for the best? For these past months, your presence was always there. I couldn't escape it," he explained. "And soon... there was no need to escape. Your presence just became... a part of my life. It was a constant, like a habit."

Renge paused. Stay strong, she told herself. "Humans are creatures of habit, Kyouya. But habits could be broken."

"That's true," Kyouya cleared his throat. "With determination, habits could be overcome and life could go on. But life wouldn't be the same, you wouldn't be there."

Renge quickly tried to build her defenses faster than how Kyouya's words and eyes tried to tear them down. "I could be replaced," she choked. "You could find someone else--."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because... because you want a submissive wife. Not someone like me, who's too free-spirited and won't comply to everything you say."

"What if you're wrong?" he suddenly snapped. "What if what you said right now was completely false?"

She heard him exhale and her eyes widened. Was that... anxiety she heard? Renge could not have been too sure. Stop, she told herself, stop letting hope rise. "You need a good wife, not me. One who's rich, beautiful, smart, easily obeys, comes from a good background and won't question you. There's plenty for you to choose in this world--."

"But in this world, there is only one Houshakuji Renge," he told her, looking at her straight in the eye. It was embarrassing to say the least, to say these things with his heart beating so fast. He struggled to keep eye contact.

But to say she was surprised was an understatement. How could he say things like that to her? Unless... slowly, Renge let hope trickle into her heart. "What are you trying to say? Honestly?" she stepped forward to him so they were only in arms' distance. "Tell me truthfully, Kyouya. I grew to see the real you, but you never wanted me to. You always manipulated the situation so that no one would get close to you. But if you want something, if you're saying what I think you're saying, you have to be honest."

Kyouya swallowed. Easier said than done, he thought. He could not own up to his emotions as much as he tried. It was a new sensation in his chest, this feeling. In the end, Kyouya would always be a cautious man; throwing things on the line was never his style, but that was what she was asking from him. It caused him to actually... panic. He was a man of plans and strategy, he never jumped head first in anything. "I want..." he finally spoke, maintaining his cool. "I want success. With the proper wife to stay by my side."

Renge's shoulders fell. "Yes," she nodded. "In the end, that's all you want." She was glad she did not let her hopes rise too far. "So, go and find her," she turned on her heels and stepped away.

Kyouya's limbs began to move on their own. His feet stepped at her pace and he reached his arms out to her. Taking her by the shoulders, he pulled her backward towards him, with her back against his chest. Kyouya wrapped his arms around her body, one around her waist, the other hooking over her shoulder, pulling her close.

Her heart nearly stopped as he pulled her in his embrace. Immediately, she was enveloped in Kyouya, his arms, the clothes against her back, his scent, his breath in her hair. "Wh--," she nearly cried, "What are you--?"

"Stay beside me, Renge," he whispered in her ear. "Stay."

What she heard shook her to the core. It was not the actual words, but the shake in his voice, the softness of it... They remained standing like that for a while before he loosened his arms and turned her to face him. Renge dared to meet his eyes and suddenly, she felt the world fall from beneath her. Underneath his glasses, the way he gazed at her with soft eyes took her breath away. The same gaze she saw a month back, the gaze he gave her when they were alone.

She was not imagining it nor was she reading into things. Back then, she guessed correct. It was a look, that look which he shared with no one else but her. "There's my look," she muttered softly under her breath.

He leaned forward and for a moment, Renge thought she would receive a kiss. Instead, he craned his neck forward, touching his forehead against her own. He took a breath before he spoke again. "Marry me, Renge," he asked and produced the ring from its hiding place in his pants pocket. He held it out in view for her to see.

Renge's eyes widened, looking at the glacier diamond. "You kept it?"

"I couldn't toss it. Believe me when I say I tried."

The idea of Kyouya throwing the diamond ring in the trash only to run and retrieve it made Renge smile. "Neh, Kyouya... do you like me?" she had to ask. "Perhaps... love me?"

Run or stay, admit it or bypass it? It was Renge's turn to test Kyouya and he knew it. Still... he could not bring himself to say "love". But he knew it; call it his first bit of shyness... "If it means having you with me."

Renge blinked about five times before saying, "That's it?"

Kyouya, in response, blinked an equal amount of times. "What do you mean?"

Immediately, Renge's hands reached for his collar and grasped it, pulling him closer to her. "Look inside yourself! You're a passionate man, I know it! You skipped school and flew half way across the world! Those alone need some sort of bravery and commitment, so don't sell yourself short now!"

"Erm..." he swallowed, feeling overwhelmed by her excitement.

"I can see it in your eyes!" she exclaimed, her own eyes growing large and filling with awe and sparkles.

"N-Nevermind..."

"Mou! Kyouya!"

Renge expected to have a quiet night at the symphony. However, she did not expect for a herd of cameras to approach her and Kyouya in the lobby after the performance. She held onto his arm as the photographers bombarded the couple with questions.

"Ootori, Houshakuji, is your engagement still on?"

"Houshakuji, I thought you were living in France?"

Kyouya and Renge exchanged looks. "Well, it's true," Kyouya said to them while Renge held his arm. "We had an argument, like any young couple. So, I gave her space and pleaded for reconciliation."

"Could you blame me?" Renge chimed in. "After all, gentlemen, his apology was very heartfelt."

"So what did he say?" a brave photographer asked.

"I'd say that's between the two of us," she smiled at Kyouya.

He smiled back and then turned to the media men. "Thank you for your support but it's late and I would like to drop her off back home. Goodnight." Together, they left, exiting the conservatory and entering his car waiting outside.

The car quietly drove off to a familiar route towards her house, passing their old high school on the way.

Honestly, Renge wondered, how long would this publicity last? She just arrived back in Japan a few days ago. Would they be sitting outside her school too? Well, she would just have to suck it up and deal with it. They would go away eventually, she told herself. In the meantime, she might as well have fun with it, like--.

Renge's thoughts came to a halt when she felt a warmth encircle her hand. She looked down and watched as Kyouya's fingers wrapped themselves gently around her hand. In the dark car ride, he did not face her, and kept his line of vision out the window on the passing cityscape.

"Are you going to school tomorrow?" he asked, eyes turned away from her.

Renge nodded and grasped his hand back. "I'm turning in my paperwork. I'll start classes next week."

No words were said after that. However, he continued to hold her hand during the car ride and that was enough for her.


	14. Addendum

Perhaps Love  
Addendum  
Author's Note: Here's a little peek of how Kyouya and Renge are a few months after the previous chapter; I'm proving that Kyouya too has hormones. **Also, I have something up on the website: a mainstream, high living, pop culture website has published an article on our young couple, full of new pictures and some insight on the lives of these two. Check it out now at the bottom of the fanart section!**

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Kyouya looked up to his surroundings. The eggshell velvet upholstery was soft under his hand as he sat quietly, a stack of papers in hand.

Her living room was so different from his. He lived in a structure of glass and leather, geometric and straight. It was a completely different setting to her organic lines of wood and soft colors. It somewhat reminded him of Tamaki's place, with European 19th century inspired furniture, except there was a lack of photo albums filled with commoner's food wrappers on her coffee table.

Things were different now, he mused to himself as his sights returned to the folder on his lap. Japan had its first snow. Kyouya just turned twenty-one years old. Renge was happy now. He was happy now.

At least, as much as he could be. They had been engaged for about a year and even so, there were some things that drove him nuts. Like how she would randomly hum or burst into song. How she would insist Sophie needed a wardrobe as extensive as hers. How her attention often deterred to the other direction from the task at hand, with dreams in her eyes. The way she would get lost in her enthusiasm without really thinking things through.

It all drove him crazy. Sometimes, he wished she would be more... serious? He pulled the top sheet of the stack of papers to the bottom of the pile. Well, no point with wishful thinking...

Kyouya did not look up to the room entrance when he heard footsteps. Renge glided into the room, her nose buried in an orange folder. Sophie was a few steps ahead of her and took the liberty to hop on the couch beside him. Kyouya reached out and stroked the dog's ears without looking up from his work.

At the corner of his eye, he watched his fiancee sit on the couch, thumbing through papers in the folder on her lap. Whatever she was reading caused her to really focus; she was nibbling on her pink glossed lip... an act Kyouya caught himself staring at every time she did it. He hooked his finger on his collar and gently pulled, letting air to his neck.

Renge sank from the couch down to the rug. She opened the folder and spread out all the papers around her in a semi-circle. She would skim her eyes over one sheet, put it down, look over another, pick another up... She continued with this paper dance as Kyouya watched, still petting Sophie behind the ears.

Finally, curiosity killed him. Also, she was making quite a ruckus. "Renge."

Renge blinked, looking up from her work. "Yes?"

"What are you doing? Homework?"

She shook her head. "I'm looking over the Houshakuji quarterly reports."

He raised an eyebrow. Well, that was new. "You are?"

"Uh-huh. And look what I found!" Renge pulled out two groups of ten papers, each group paper-clipped together. "The production in the American division is far less than the European."

"That's typical," he responded.

"Yes, but if Otou-sama put some focus on this group," she said, pointing to the figures in the middle of one of the pages, "We could increase productivity and sales by at least 15%."

Kyouya's eyes widened. Was he going mad? Did she really...?

"And the West Coast division could--."

Papers flew in the air all around them. Before Kyouya knew it, he leaned forward and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her body towards him. Their lips touched and Kyouya leaned forward, arching her head back in response. He closed the air between them, drank in her scent, the taste of her lip gloss, the way her lips were so soft against his.

When Kyouya pulled back, he cracked his eyes open. Renge's lashes fluttered, revealing her amber irises staring straight up at him. "Kyouya..."

Kyouya quickly but gently let her go, placing her back down on the carpet. His glasses gleamed opaque and he adjusted them higher on the bridge of his nose. "I didn't mean for that to happen," he told her. He could not understand how he let that bit of weakness take over. It was crazy!

Renge sat still on the floor, fingertips brushing over her lips. Her eyes were wide from initial shock and her cheeks were painted pink.

And then, she began to laugh.

The situation did not make him comfortable, not in the slightest. "Why are you laughing?"

"It just makes sense," Renge responded between giggles. "We had our first kiss because we were talking business."

He coughed, turning away from her, trying to conceal the heat rising up his neck.

Her laughter eventually died, and the room was filled with her trying to even out her breath. Kyouya gathered his papers while she did the same. He sat up properly on the couch and began reading his work again, trying to regain the amount of dignity he lost with that stunt he pulled.

"Neh, Kyouya?"

He felt a warm hand on his knee. He peered up from his stack of papers, coming face to face with his fiancee's smile. His eyes momentarily darted to her lips, the pink gloss noticeably gone (his undoing, his mind teased). He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What will it take for us to kiss again?" Renge asked innocently. "Do I have to show our company's fiscal figures? Will that inspire you?" she stared up at him with bright, hopeful eyes, as they glimmered with curiosity.

The very proposal made him speechless, not because the idea was ludicrous, but that she was actually on to him! He knew if he opened his mouth, a stammer would fly out his lips. But he would not do that; he was not Tamaki, after all. He said nothing, only returning his eyes to his paper.

Renge had said nothing after that, however she did not let him forget his embarrassment. She sat back on the floor, humming a happy melody and occasionally giggling every few minutes.

Just because he was in love with her, did not mean he did not have a license to find her annoying. Damn, she drove him nuts. Kyouya peered past his papers to her the same instant she glanced over her shoulder. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. A soft smile formed on his lips and he returned to his work.


End file.
